


Loves Me Like I'm Brand New

by Myfavouriteobsession



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Abortion, Bulimia, Child Abuse, Discussion of Abortion, Eating Disorder, Eating Disorders, F/F, F/M, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Multi, Past Abortion, Rape, Self Harm, Self-Harm, Sexual Content, Teen Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-17
Updated: 2018-04-02
Packaged: 2019-02-16 03:43:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 10
Words: 25,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13045770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myfavouriteobsession/pseuds/Myfavouriteobsession
Summary: What would have happened if Evie was pregnant when the core four were taken to Auradon? In this story, she ends up needing Mal more than ever, especially when she's forced to push away her new friend, Lonnie.Also posted on fanfiction.net





	1. I'm not a bad girl but I do bad things with you

_'Anthony.' The blue haired girl protested, fighting to keep her concentration as the boy on top of her kissed every inch of her neck._

_'Anthony, we can't be doing this; we can't risk it.'_

_'Relax Evie.' He replied between kisses as he pulled her cape off her shoulders. 'It'll be fine.'_

_He removed his shirt and pressed his lips onto hers, knowing that the girl wouldn't need much more convincing. She turned her face away._

_'No one can know.' She whispered after a pause, her eyes looking into his. 'Mal would kill you and then me if she knew we hooked up again.'_

_'My lips are sealed, Princess.'_

 

The sound of retching echoed through the spacious en- suite as the Evil Queen's daughter heaved in front of her toilet for the third time that morning. She wiped the sweat off her forehead as she heard the door creak open.

'Oh my God, Evie are you okay?' Mal, after having waited at their meeting place for half an hour, had ventured inside the Castle Across The Way to look for her best friend.

'I'm fine, Mal.' Evie croaked, wiping her mouth with some toilet roll.

'E, look at me.' The blue haired girl did as she was told, her eyes heavy. 'That crazy bitch isn't telling you to lose weight again, is she? You weren't..'

'No, Mal.' Evie stood up and flushed the toilet, her knees almost giving way with the effort. She walked over to the sink. 'I mean, she is; I've been really bloated recently, but that's not why I was sick.'

'Well are you ill?' Her friend pressed, worry evident in her face. 'We don't have to go out if you are'

'It's fine, I've just been getting sick in the mornings but it passes. I'm just a bit dizzy now.' Evie briefly made eye contact with Mal in the mirror before looking away and drying her hands on the faded blue towel she'd swiped off the barges a few years ago.

'Morning sickness, E?' Sex education wasn't taught on the Isle, but everyone knew the risks of sleeping together- whether through experience, rumours or dusty old biology books in the library. It was hardly a deterrent though when there was nothing else to do and the chances of pregnancy were slim.

Evie smoothed down her hair and walked into her bedroom.

'It's not what you're insinuating, Mal. It can't be; I haven't had a period in months, same as you.'

Mal sighed before following her friend out of the bathroom.

'Evie, ever since the amount of rations from Auradon went up, I've been getting mine again. I've had the last two.'

At this revelation, Evie turned around to face her. Her eyes searched Mal's, as if she was hoping to find some proof that she was lying, or playing a trick on her. Instead, she just saw pity. Evie shook her head and took a mint out of the little tin on her bedside table.

'Drop it, M.' She said before starting to chew it. 'I'm just feeling under the weather at the minute. Shall we go and find the boys?'

Mal nodded slightly, clearly unhappy with the change in subject but she accompanied Evie to Carlos' treehouse anyway. They were nearly there when their path became obstructed by a tall, dark haired boy who smirked at them.

'Good morning Mal. Evie.'

'Fuck off Anthony.' Replied Mal, anxious to get away from the sleazy son of Anastasia Tremaine.

'Now that's not a pleasant way to speak to someone is it Malsy?' Mal raised an eyebrow at his audacity but he carried on talking smoothly before she could respond. 'And how are you, Princess?'

He was addressing Evie now, his manicured hand reaching out to brush her hair out of her face.

'I've not seen you in my bed for a good few weeks now. You've not found a new fuck buddy have you?.'

Mal waited for Evie to slap him for his vulgarity, her eyes widening when she did no such thing. Instead, the blue haired girl smiled seductively.

'All good things come to those who wait.' She said, batting her eyelashes before leaning in to whisper in his ear. 'And you know how much better coming can be when it's been a while.'

The pompous boy flushed red at this, his previously confident manner disappearing as he concentrated on something- anything- other than Evie's sultry voice and how it made his pants tighten. He mumbled a response as the girls pushed past him, Evie rolling her eyes at Mal.

'Boys.' She said simply.

'Evie,' Mal began, confused at what she had just witnessed. 'Why the hell didn't you punch him in the face? He shouldn't talk to you like that. And what did you say to him?'

'Relax, Mal.' Evie sighed as the truth of what just happened dawned on her. 'It's not like I'm not used to it. And I flirted, just like mother always tells me to.'

_'He's technically a Lord, Evelyn.' Her mom had told her when she cried about Anthony inappropriately grabbing her in school two years ago._

_'It's not quite a Prince, but we both know you're not up to a Prince's standards yet. Never complain about attention from him again. Make sure you please him.'_

'But Anthony? He acts like he's so entitled, and saying that about his bed after what happened last year, and Jay and me threatening him. He should be leaving you alo-Oh God Evie.'

Mal stopped walking and looked up at her best friend, her face expressing a mix of empathy and barely hidden disgust.

'You slept with Anthony again?'

'Mal it doesn't matter who I've slept with, isn't that what you're always telling me?' The girls were a few steps away from the treehouse now, but Mal was in no hurry to climb the ladder.

'It matters when it's Anthony, Eves! He treated you like shit last year, and it matters when-' She looked down at Evie's stomach, causing the taller girl to wrap her arms around herself defensively.

'When what, Mal?'

'You know when.'

Just then, a small face popped out of one of the treehouse's windows.

'Guys! We've been waiting for ages, come up!' It was the always excited Carlos De Vil, who worshipped the ground that Evie walked on. Mal turned to her.

'Are you gonna tell them?'

'I don't even know if there's anything to tell.' For the first time that day, Evie's voice was quiet and unsure. Mal noticed and dropped the issue, deciding to wait a while before bringing it up again.

The girls climbed up the rope ladder to be met with the sight of Jafar's son as well as Carlos, both of whom were playing a rather violent looking game of Snap with a set of old Auradonian playing cards: each Ace had a picture of the Genie, each 2 had a picture of Tweedledum and Tweedledee, each 3 a picture of Fauna, Flora and Merryweather and so on.

'What took you so long?' Jay asked, not looking away from the cards in front of him for even a second. Evie looked fearfully at Mal as they sat down on a ripped checked blanket.

'Oh we walked into Anthony Tremaine.' Mal replied, her voice dripping in disdain. 'He was as insufferable as ever.'

Carlos sniggered at this as he continued playing the card game, eagerly waiting for a chance to say 'snap'. The four friends sat together for an hour or so, trading jokes and anecdotes about things that had happened in the short time since school the day before.

They were enjoying a peaceful silence when the screech of Cruella De Vil could be heard.

'CARLOS!'

The boy froze at the sound of his mother's voice, his smile no longer visible and instead replaced by a look of fear. Jay reached out to pat his back and gave Mal a knowing look. She stood up and walked to the treehouse window.

'He's up here.' She said calmly, her voice travelling to the madwoman below her. 'What do you want, Cruella?'

'Now, now Mal. That's not how we speak to our elders, is it?'.

Now it was Mal's turn to freeze as Maleficent appeared behind Carlos' mother, the Evil Queen and Jafar close behind.

'Be a darling and bring your little friends down here.' Mal could only nod at the command, before turning around and looking at the others. Evie was watching her expectantly as Jay brought Carlos closer to him, his arm around his shoulders.

'Well?' questioned the long haired boy. Mal shrugged. 'All of our parents here. They want to talk to us.'

Evie winced at this news as Jay and Carlos scrambled to their feet, the white haired boy still somewhat shaky.

'All of our parents?' Evie took her mirror out of her pocket, hastily pinning back a few stray hairs and checking for smudged make up before following the others down the ladder. She hoped that she looked presentable and made a mental note to stay as far away from her mother as possible.

'Children.' Maleficent began when they were all on the ground, her haughty manner commanding the attention of the crowd. 'We have just received news from Auradon that you four have been chosen to move there.'

Her voice became sickly sweet the more she spoke, a warning sign that Mal had learnt to be wary of at a young age.

'Move to Auradon?' she questioned, her expression as confused as those of her friends, but showing a lot more fear. 'But why? And why us?'

'Because we are the worst of the worst!' Cruella cackled proudly, her cigarette in her hand. 'So they want our kids the most.'

Maleficent glared at the aging fashion designer, clearly unimpressed by her contribution.

'They want to take all of the Isle brats over, some ridiculous decree made by the Beast's son. We don't know why. What we do know is that you can achieve some marvellous things when you're over there.'

'Yeah, and make us proud for once.' This gruff interruption came from Jafar, his words stinging Jay as the boy remembered the multitude of punishments he'd received over the years for not being able to fulfil his father's wishes. In that moment, he was willing to do anything to prove himself.

'What do you want us to do?' He asked, his arm once again around Carlos in an attempt to make him feel protected from Cruella.

'You need to steal the Fairy Godmother's wand.' Said Maleficent with a smile, her eyes sparkling.

Mal's heart felt heavy when she realised that her mother had never been that happy in front of her before, and that a fantasy about stealing an enchanted object brought her more joy than her daughter did.

'Steal that and break the barrier, and we'll know that you truly do take after us.'

'But how do we do that?' Evie spoke for the first time since leaving the treehouse, trying not to show how excited she was at the thought of leaving the Isle: of leaving her mother and Anthony and -

'Evelyn!' the Evil Queen snapped, stopping Evie's thoughts from wandering further. She stalked towards her daughter. 'Do not speak unless spoken to. And what on earth happened to you? You look like a wharf rat, not a princess.'

'Sorry Mother.' Evie murmured, bowing her head. Grimhilde sighed.

'We are sure that you'll find a way.' Said the Queen, addressing all of the teenagers. 'After all, you must have inherited something from us.'

Cruella and Jafar laughed at this and even Maleficent snickered as the Evil Queen continued, muttering so only Evie could hear.

'Even if you didn't inherit brains or beauty, you might have inherited an evil streak.'

'You will be picked up tomorrow.' Maleficient declared, turning her back to the four and starting to walk away with the other villains. 'And you best be ready.'

When they were left alone again, the friends didn't quite know what to do. They stood in silence for a few seconds until Evie shrieked and hugged Mal, then Jay and Carlos.

'We're going to be free!' she exclaimed breathlessly, her eyes starting to fill with tears. 'We're going to be in Auradon!'

The boys started laughing then, Jay telling Carlos how wonderful he'll feel without Cruella constantly berating him. Evie felt Mal grab her arm and turned to her, smiling, only to be pulled aside.

'How do you think the people in Auradon will react to your little problem?' Mal hissed, her words sounding more mocking than she intended them to. 'You can't ignore this, Eves.' 


	2. Got a list of names and yours is in red, underlined

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to those who left kudos and reviews! It really means a lot that you like this :)

The next morning, Evie was woken up by her mother shaking her and shouting.

'Evelyn! For God's sake Evie, wake up!'

'Yes, mom?' she murmured, sitting up. She wiped the sleep out of her eyes and willed her dizziness to pass, knowing full well that she'd be sick if it didn't.

'Evelyn, you're going to Auradon today; you have to get ready.' The queen made her way to Evie's dresser and picked up one of the three hairbrushes before throwing it to the girl on the bed. 'Wash your face and then make a start on your hair. It's a mess so make sure you do it right, and don't you dare come downstairs until your make up is perfect.'

After tutting once more at the state of her daughter, Grimhilde glided out, slamming the door behind her as Evie got out from under her thin duvet. She looked at the small pocket watch on the bedside cabinet, seeing that it said 06.30.

'For fuck's sake.' Evie moaned, well aware that she wasn't due to leave the Isle for another two and a half hours. She stood up and her stomach lurched, prompting her to run into her bathroom. She made it just in time, and exhaled in frustration when she finally managed to stop heaving.

When she'd refreshed herself in the sink and put on her signature outfit, Evie critiqued her reflection in the mirror like she had done every morning for the past sixteen years. Even after applying three layers of foundation and more blush than she'd normally use in a week, her face was several shades paler than usual. She stared at herself, tears threatening to fall from her eyes as she wondered if her mom would notice.

 _Of course she will_. The girl thought bitterly, checking that all of her few belongings were packed for the hundredth time that morning. She was excited to go to Auradon, more so than the others she thought; they had always been more apprehensive of new things than she was. She had tried to hide her glee the previous night though, for she knew that her mother would likely stop her from going if she thought it would make Evie happy. As it was, she had about two minutes before she needed to meet the others outside.

She mentally ran through the list of things her mom always made her do before she was allowed to show herself, making sure she hadn't missed anything out. She was about to leave her room when she realised that there was one set of imperfections that she hadn't covered.

'Fuck.' She rummaged through her bag to find her small concealer, made by her and the Evil Queen using various ingredients from the Isle, and she pulled up her left sleeve. Her wrist was covered in scars of various sizes, old and new, and the girl got to work hiding them. She wondered what Jay and Mal would do about their arms, knowing that theirs were almost as bad as hers with the only difference being that they had stopped sooner than Evie. Carlos was the only one of the four who hadn't regularly self harmed.

 _'He gets enough pain from Cruella_.' Mal had muttered darkly to Evie once, when Carlos had fallen asleep tracing Jay's scars.

'Evie?'

Mal knocked loudly on Evie's door before wandering in, causing the blue haired girl to jump and drop her little bottle of concealer.

'Shit, sorry Eves.' Mal said, walking over to her. 'Oh it's not broken.' She crouched down to pick the bottle up and went to hand it to her friend, hesitating when she saw Evie's exposed wrist.

'Evie? What are you doing?'

'I'm covering the old cuts, don't worry.' Evie reassured her, taking the bottle of concealer back. 'Though I guess I don't have time to do my other arm.' She put the make up back in her bag and sighed. 'Mal, what are we going to do in Auradon?'

'What do you mean?'

'Come on, you know as well as I do that our parents are deluded to think that we could steal the wand and set them free.'

'Yeah, I guess you're right.'

Evie took Mal's hands in hers.

'Mal, do you think that we can start again there? Have a new life without them constantly putting us down? It's all I've been able to think about.'

Mal's expression softened at the passion in Evie's voice and she felt a strange sensation in her stomach.

'I hope so, E.'

'Me too.'

Mal bit her lip, debating whether or not to say her next words.

'Evie, were you sick again today?'

'What?' The taller girl dropped Mal's hands, as if they had begun to burn her. 'Can you tell? Oh God, mom will kill me. She might not let me go.'

'No, no, I can't tell; you look perfect. But Evie, you have to face up to this. Honey, what if you're pregnant again?'

Evie closed her eyes tightly, willing the memories of last year to get out of her head. She couldn't be pregnant, not again.

'Mal, please. Don't ruin today.'

'Evie, you can't just ignore it. That's partly why it was so bad last time. What are you going to do?'

'I don't know! Okay, Mal? I don't know! I've been ignoring the symptoms for weeks, I've been avoiding Anthony because I knew at the time it was a mistake, and now I don't know what to do!' In a rare moment of vulnerability, Evie had been completely honest and she fell against Mal, sobbing and ruining her carefully applied eyeliner.

The daughter of Maleficent embraced her friend, completely at a loss regarding what she should do. She patted Evie on the back.

'I'm sorry, I shouldn't have pushed it. I'm just as scared as you.' She took a deep breath. 'We'll be fine in Auradon you know. Everything's better there, and we'll figure it out.'

'Guys, are you ready?'

This interruption came from Carlos, who was looking considerably happier than he had done yesterday, delighted at the thought of not having to care for his mother's furs anymore or suffer burns from her cigarette when she decided he hadn't looked after 'her babies' well enough.

'Woah, sorry. What's wrong?'

'Nothing.' Mal insisted, letting go of Evie and turning around to face him. 'We're just glad to finally get out of this hell hole, right E?'

The other girl nodded, running a finger under her eyes to get rid of the smudged make up. She even managed to smile.

'Great, well there's a car here waiting to take us. The driver said we didn't need to hurry, but he's more on edge than Captain Hook was that time we followed him around making clock noises.'

The three friends smiled fondly at the memory before walking out together, Mal squeezing Evie's shoulder as if to silently remind her that everything was going to be okay.

'Evelyn, really?' Grimhilde sighed as soon as she caught sight of her. 'You honestly think you'll be able to impress the princes in Auradon looking like that?' She bustled over, taking a mascara brush out of her cloak pocket and using it on Evie's eyelashes. 'Do not embarrass me over there, Evie.' She threatened, not noticing her daughter stiffen in front of her, not that she'd have cared anyway. 'Remember what I've always taught you.'

Evie merely nodded and Mal's eyes widened as she noticed her friend's expression.

'Come on guys, let's get in the limo!' she shouted with false enthusiasm, pushing the boys and Evie inside the car. 'Bye mom.' She added hastily before slamming the door. Evie's face had begun to turn an unnatural shade.

'Driver guy, hey, yeah you. Do you have a bucket?'

The driver turned around in confusion.

'Sure, there's one in the back of the seat filled with popcorn. Are you-?'

'We're great, thanks.' Mal replied hurriedly, finding the bucket. 'Now please drive before our parents try to get in here too.'

The driver nodded once before turning back around. Mal nudged Jay.

'Hold out your hands.'

'What?'

'Now!' the boy did as he was told, prompting Mal to empty the bucket into his palms before thrusting it in front of Evie's face. 'Here you go.'

Evie didn't even have time to thank her before she started coughing up bile and saliva into the bucket. The boys exchanged uneasy glances.

'Yo, Eves are you alright?' Carlos asked, his mouth half full with popcorn he'd already taken from Jay. The girl nodded weakly in response.

'I'm fine.' She wheezed, before throwing up even more, suggesting the opposite was true.

'Evie, you're not looking fine.' This came from Jay, who could sense that the two girls knew something that him and Carlos didn't.

'I must have eaten something bad yesterday.' She said, smiling weakly. 'It's not like we've never been given off food before, right?'

'Yeah I guess.'

Mal looked from Evie to the boys before clearing her throat.

'Right.' She began. 'Who's up for a bet?'

'A bet?' Jay repeated, smirking at the suggestion. The thought of a gamble with Mal made him momentarily forget his concerns about Evie. 'What kind of bet?'

'Just a friendly one, at least until we can come up with a prize.' The girl hesitated, trying to think of a way to keep Jay interested and too distracted to ask Evie any more questions. 'I bet I can trick one of the Auradonian idiots into going on a date with me before you can.'

Jay smiled and shook his head.

'Really, Mal? You think that you can charm someone before me?' Mal nodded. 'You're forgetting that I have these arms.' He flexed his biceps, causing the other three to laugh and Carlos to roll his eyes.

'My money's on Mal.' He said, winking at her. 'Because she isn't quite so full of herself, and the AKs might appreciate that.' Jay pushed him playfully, just as the car drew to a stop.

'Well, you're in Auradon now.' Said the driver, turning around. 'Good luck. And for what it's worth, my money's on the girl too.'

Mal grinned at him.

'Hey, thanks. And thanks for the bucket, Evie maybe you should leave that in here.' She took the bucket out of Evie's hands and tucked it between two of the seats, trying not to react to the smell so as not to offend her friend. The four made their way out of the limo, startled to find themselves face to face with a teenage couple and an older woman dressed in blue and pink.

'Welcome to Auradon!' The woman exclaimed, smiling at the driver and indicating with a wave of her hand that he didn't have to stay any longer. 'I'm the Fairy Godmother.'

The VKs all raised their eyebrows.

' _The_ Fairy Godmother?' asked Evie, her throat hoarse. 'Like, the one who made Cinderella that awesome dress?' sensing her friends' eyes on her, she hurriedly continued. 'And like, the one with the wand? Bibbidi Bobbidi?'

'Bibbidi Bobbidi!' The fairy repeated enthusiastically, not hiding her delight at the fact that the kids knew at least some general knowledge. 'And so, who is who of you four?'

She looked at them expectantly and Mal, ever the leader, spoke first. Her eyes never left those of the boy in front of her

'I'm Mal, daughter of Maleficent.' She noticed the boy flinch at her words as the girl standing next to him tightened her grip on his arm. She smiled at Mal falsely.

'I'm Princess Audrey, daughter of Aurora.' She declared, now glaring at Mal. 'The same Aurora that your mother-'

'Audrey!' the boy interrupted her, his expression troubled. 'Be nice. I'm Ben.' He extended his hand out to Mal, who shook it firmly, not so subtly eyeing him up.

' _Prince_ Ben.' Corrected Audrey.

'Prince?' Evie's ears perked up at the word, even though she had barely noticed the boy since stepping out of the car, too busy trying to ignore the turning of her stomach. 'I'm Evie, the Evil Queen's daughter.' She touched the heart and crown pendant around her neck as if to confirm the fact as she stood up straighter, just like her mother always taught her to. 'I'm technically a princess.'

Audrey scoffed and looked away, causing Ben to reprimand her again. Mal was the only one to notice how Evie's face momentarily crumpled.

'And this is Jay and Carlos.' Said the purple haired girl quickly, pointing at the two boys who had been wrestling and completely ignoring the conversation. 'Jay is tall, Carlos is small.'

'It's lovely to meet you!' said the Fairy Godmother. Her expression seemed fairly genuine, Evie noted, as she wondered how her life might have been different if she'd had her as a mother rather than someone who only ever wanted to use magic for evil and vanity. She didn't have long to ponder that thought before she felt another urge to be sick. She ran to a bush a few steps away, trying to ignore Audrey's exclamations of disgust as the vomit came out of her.

' _Great_.' Thought the girl. ' _How am I supposed to impress a prince when I'm throwing up every two minutes?'_

After a few seconds, her stomach stopped contracting and she felt a hand on her back. She turned to see Mal looking at her with a concerned expression.

'You okay?' she mouthed. Evie nodded with a small smile, her eyes looking past her friend to the people behind her. The boys were murmuring to each other, presumably wondering what the hell was happening, Audrey was looking in the opposite direction, a hand over her mouth, and Ben and the Fairy Godmother were walking over.

'Oh dear, are you alright?' the fairy asked, her voice soft and caring.

'I'm sorry for, for being sick there. I can clean it.' Evie apologised, unused to hearing such a kind tone from an adult. 'I'm good at cleaning.' She added meekly, trying to ignore the fact that impressing Ben would be nearly impossible after that display.

'Don't worry about it.' Said the boy, his eyes narrowing. 'But do you feel ill? Do you need to go to a doctor?' Mal squeezed her eyes shut at that last word. She should have anticipated it, should have warned her friend because there's no way it wouldn't trigger something for her. Sure enough, when she looked again, Evie looked dangerously close to fainting.

'No, no.' The girl muttered, almost swaying. 'No doctors no. Not Dr Facilier, please no.'

'It's fine, Eves.' Mal comforted her quietly, grabbing her hand and squeezing it. 'It's not him; he's on the Isle.' She looked back at the other two, grateful for their concern. 'She'll be fine. She's just nervous- right, Evie?'

The girl nodded her agreement and the Fairy, after hesitating slightly, smiled again.

'Righty ho.' She began, looking back at the others. 'We have arranged some tours for you. Jay and Carlos, you two follow Ben to the boys' wing and Evie and Mal, you go with Audrey. You can all meet up again at lunch.'

'Lunch?' said Jay and Carlos in unison, their eyes lighting up. 'Get in!' they high fived before going off with the prince, asking him about what types of food would be on offer, and whether they'd have more chances to eat that week, or if they should stock up on food then. They didn't notice Ben's concerned reaction. Audrey joined the girls, wrinkling her nose at Evie.

'Fairy G, do you really think I'm the best person to do this tour? I mean, they're so..'

'Audrey.' The older woman warned, raising her eyebrows. 'Be a dear and start now please.'

Aurora's daughter rolled her eyes, pushing past the two villain kids to lead the way.

'Well, come on!' she commanded impatiently. Mal gave Evie a knowing look, causing the other girl to bite her lip in order to hide her smile. She knew Mal, and she'd seen enough people get on her bad side to recognise that that look meant the princess should watch her back.


	3. You're lost and I'm scared and you're turning away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again to everyone who has subscribed to/ left kudos on this story! I am so flattered that you actually like my work. Please leave a comment with any thoughts or ideas you have about this chapter :)

Evie and Mal quickened their pace to catch up with the snooty princess, presuming correctly that she'd have no qualms about leaving them to get lost.

'This is the girls' wing.' Audrey said monotonously, walking through a large wooden door to reveal multiple identical looking hallways. 'They've put you two next to me and Lonnie, because of course they fucking have.'

She started to walk down one of the hallways, her high heels clicking on the marble floor.

'I hate her already.' Mal muttered as she began to follow her. 'I thought Auradonians were meant to be nice.'

Evie was about to respond with a similar remark, when a tall Asian girl opened one of the doors they had passed in the corridor.

'Oh my god, you must be Mal and Evie!' The girl said excitedly, grinning at them. 'Hey, Audrey isn't this their room?' she pointed at the door next to the one her head was poking out of, looking at the princess who had walked straight past it, too busy looking at her phone to notice.

'Oh yeah, sure.' She said, barely looking up. 'Thanks Lonnie. You finish the tour then.' The girl had no time to argue as Audrey began to walk away, typing out a text message. Mal and Evie turned around awkwardly.

'I'm sure we can figure out how to get around on our own.' Said Mal, not wanting their new acquaintance to feel obliged to help them.

'No, no! Don't worry, I don't mind.' She reassured them, still smiling. 'I'm Lonnie by the way, daughter of Mulan.' She stepped out of her room, closing the door behind her. 'So you'll be our new neighbours, huh? I'll show you the common room that we share with the boys.' The girls walked in a line together, Mal and Evie feeling comfortable for the first time since they had arrived, having instantly warmed to Lonnie. 'So which one of you is Evie?'

'That's me.' The Evil Queen's daughter said, before her voice dropped to a whisper. 'And can I just say, you're so much nicer than that other girl.'

Lonnie chuckled.

'Well it's nice to meet you Evie. And don't worry about Audrey, she just takes some getting used to. She's constantly getting out her phone and disappearing at the moment too, so don't take it personally.'

'Is that guy Ben- the one that met us outside- her boyfriend?' asked Mal. Evie noticed that she seemed genuinely interested and frowned; since when did Mal care about princes? She was the one who was supposed to be finding one so she could prove herself to her mom, not Mal.

'Yeah he is.' Said Lonnie, leading them into the common room. It was empty, save for one boy with glasses sitting beside the fire with a Chemistry textbook. 'They're Auradon's power couple.'

At the sound of Lonnie's voice, the boy lifted his head. He blinked rapidly when he noticed the VKs.

'Hey, Lonnie and...and-'

'Guys, this is Doug. Doug, this is Mal and Evie.'

The boy stood up and made his way over to them, stumbling slightly as he did so. Evie forced herself to suppress a giggle but Mal showed no such courtesy.

'So..how are you finding Auradon so far?' He asked, blushing furiously.

'It's... okay.' Said Mal, after briefly making eye contact with Evie. 'I mean, we haven't been mugged or groped yet so it's definitely better than home!' Her false brightness paired with that exclamation clearly made Doug uncomfortable; he gave them a tight smile before returning to his book and refusing to make eye contact again.

Lonnie laughed nervously.

'Right, well Evie you'll be seeing more of Doug later.' She said, taking the girls back out of the room. 'You're in Chemistry with him and me after lunch. Mal, you'll have to ask FG where you're meant to go.'

Evie shot Mal a worried look that did not go unnoticed by their new tour guide.

'Oh sorry, she probably didn't warn you that you'd be split up. Don't worry, we only do three subjects each semester and you're together for the other two. One is English, which you have with me, and the other is a new one that you'll be doing with the others. Jay and Carlos, is it?'

'Yeah that's them.' Replied Mal. She gave Evie a small smile, wondering how they'd cope being in separate classes and whether the other students would be more like Audrey or Lonnie. She hoped for the latter.

'Cool. Well, there are some bathrooms down there.' Said Lonnie, referring to another hallway. 'And every dorm has an en- suite. Oh and this is the library.' She pointed at an open door, through which Evie and Mal could see several students looking extremely invested in the textbooks in front of them. Mal raised an eyebrow.

'Everyone here looks like they take their work so... _seriously_. It's the start of the first semester, why are they all studying?'

'Most of them probably aren't.' Lonnie explained with a grin. 'We get extra credit for each hour spent in the library so sometimes people sit there during their free periods. I can almost guarantee that the majority of those people were secretly on their phones.'

'What about the boy in the common room?' asked Evie. She was almost disappointed at the idea that the kids here had the same blasé attitude to their school work as those back on the Isle did.  _Oh don't be ridiculous._  She told herself. _Of course they don't care about studying, and neither should you; princes don't want girls who act like know- alls._

'Doug? Oh no he does it voluntarily, hence why he wasn't in the library and getting credit for it. That dude loves his chemistry.'

The girls started to walk past the library, Mal pursing her lips- something she always did when trying to make sense of a situation.

'So,' she began, looking at Lonnie. 'you guys aren't all prissy princesses? Like, you break the rules sometimes?'

Lonnie scoffed good naturedly.

'Is that really how you think of us? Sure, I mean we're do- gooders and stuff but we're not saints.'

Mal looked at Evie and cocked her head to the side. The taller girl, fully aware of the message that Mal was trying to send, looked away. Lonnie checked her watch.

'Well guys, it's lunchtime now so we could walk over to the dining hall. I'm sure Ben will have taken Jay and Carlos down, provided he hasn't bailed too and gone off with Audrey.'

'Is that likely?' asked Mal curiously. 'I mean, do they often sneak off together?'

'Mal!' exclaimed Evie, partly horrified at what her friend was insinuating in front of a practical stranger- a practical stranger from  _Auradon_  no less- and partly wondering once again why Mal was asking about Ben. She hoped that she wasn't taking an interest in the prince, not when he'd be the perfect way to finally impress her mother- provided she could fix her little problem first of course. At the thought of not being able to fix it, her stomach tightened and she began to feel queasy.

'Oh don't worry about it!' laughed Lonnie. 'But no, they're usually- woah are you okay?' she looked concernedly at Evie, who was getting paler by the second.

Mal turned to look at her friend and wrapped an arm round her, not wanting to risk her fainting.

'She's fine, aren't you Evie?' The girl gave a small nod in response, reassuring Mal that she wasn't going to be sick. 'She just needs some food. Didn't you say we were going to lunch now?'

'Yeah...sure.' said Lonnie, looking between the two girls. 'So, um, what were mealtimes like on the Isle? They get kinda hectic here, especially when there's brownies.'

She had addressed her question to Evie in an effort to stop the girl from completely spacing out, like she looked in danger of doing. Evie gave a small smile.

'I'm almost as clueless as you are.'

Lonnie looked at Mal for an explanation, worried that she'd missed something. Mal sighed.

'Evie's mom wasn't big on her eating meals, or well, anything really. She wasn't allowed to be in school at lunch time.' Lonnie's mouth opened slightly in surprise as she really looked at the girls for the first time. She'd noticed that they were skinny, but- with all the media pressure in Auradon- so were most of her classmates. Only now did she realise that Mal's collarbone was protruding and that Evie's legs looked like they could snap.

'I'm so sorry, I didn't realise-'

'It's okay.' Evie reassured her, the colour finally starting to return to her face. 'But what I do know is that Jay once went into our cafeteria without a black eye and came out with two.'

Lonnie had been about to open the door to the dining hall when she heard this and stopped.

'Wait, seriously?'

Mal snorted.

'Yeah, Le Fou's kid tried to take some bread off him and it was the only piece that wasn't stale so Jay wasn't in a hurry to let it go. They ended up fighting and normally Jay would've won but Gaston's spawn joined in.'

Lonnie frowned; she was amazed at how appalling life on the Isle sounded. Sure, she knew it would be bad, but what she was hearing was so much worse than she'd imagined.

'Didn't the teachers, like, stop them?'

Mal opened her mouth to respond but Ben and the boys came around the corner before she could.

'Hey guys.' Ben greeted with a nod, happy to see that they seemed relatively at ease; maybe his decree wasn't such a bad idea after all. He looked at Lonnie and tilted his head to the side. 'Where's Audrey?'

Lonnie raised her eyebrows.

'Oh, I assumed-' she shook her head and smiled. 'I think she's gone to see Fairy Godmother about her timetable. She forgot to tell you that she wouldn't be able to finish the tour.'

Ben smiled as Mal and Evie exchanged intrigued glances, knowing full well that Lonnie was lying.

'Ah, that makes sense. Well I know Jay and Carlos are hungry so I'm sure you two must be too. Let's get on with the feast!'

He dramatically pushed open the door, and the four VKs found their senses overloaded. The scent of freshly cooked food, although extremely pleasant, was overwhelming and the sheer amount of treats on the table was something none of them could ever have dreamt of seeing. They made their way inside.

'Are we allowed to eat whatever we want?' asked Carlos in disbelief, eyeing up a dish that a girl walking past was carrying on a plate. It consisted of two small brown circles with a darker brown one between them, as well as some sort of yellow sheet. The smell of it was intoxicating.

'Yeah of course.' Said Ben with a grin. 'Have as much as you like. It does feel like breakfast was a long time ago.' He gestured forward, completely oblivious as to the real reason why the boy was so excited at the prospect of eating. They all followed where he was pointing and walked up to the long buffet table at the back of the room, the boys immediately starting to pile their plates high. Mal and Lonnie were more choosy, actually considering their options, and Evie was at a complete loss as to what to do. She picked up a sandwich gingerly, as if she could gain weight just by touching it.

'It's alright.' Murmured Mal. 'Nothing bad will happen if you eat it.' The blue haired girl smiled gratefully, putting it on her plate and reaching out for a bottle of water, surprised at how clear it was. Lonnie seemed concerned at how little Evie was picking up and placed the fruit bowl in front of her.

'These are really good for you.' She said, offering her an apple. 'And they might make you feel better.'

Evie narrowed her eyes, unsure of how she should react.

'An apple? What is that supposed to mean?' Lonnie' eyes widened as she instantly regretted her uncharacteristic insensitivity.

'Shit, no I just meant because it's fruit and you weren't well, I didn't mean-'

The boys came back over, having sensed the tension.

'Is everything okay?' Ben asked brightly, his plate well piled but still looking almost pitiful in comparison to Jay's and Carlos'.

'Eves, you're still not well?' this was Carlos. Mal noticed that his voice was higher than usual, something that showed how worried he was. When there was no response to his question, she looked back for Evie only to see that she was no longer standing with them and instead was running out of the hall. The other students were watching, wondering what was wrong with the VK but not caring enough to go and ask her.

'I really didn't mean to upset her.' Said Lonnie, shaking her head. 'Honestly.'

Mal didn't reply, instead opting to run after Evie. When she was back in the corridor though with no blue hair in sight, she looked around desperately.

 _'C'mon E.'_  Thought the girl, trying to think about where her friend would run to- most likely to be sick- in an unfamiliar school. It's not like they knew where most places were. She remembered Lonnie mentioning a bathroom before they reached the library and set off in that direction, hoping that she'd find Evie there.

Sure enough, when she got to the bathroom- which was a lot cleaner than those in Dragon Hall, she noticed- she could hear coughing and spluttering coming from the end cubicle. Mal tried to forget that the only washroom she'd been in that was half as clean as this was Evie's own (and that's because the Evil Queen insisted that boys liked girls who knew how to keep themselves and their environments tidy) and instead focus on helping her friend.

She knocked lightly on the cubicle door, only for it to open easily. She went inside to be met with the sight of Evie leaning over the toilet, one hand on the cistern and one on her stomach.

'Do you think you're finished?' asked Mal, hoping that- although she felt cruel- this would force Evie to actually talk about the fact that she was most likely pregnant again and that she needed to come up with a plan.

Evie nodded and flushed the toilet.

'I think so.' Her voice was raspy.

'E, you know that this is only going to get worse.' Began Mal, walking further inside the cubicle. It was more spacious than the others had looked but she was now too focussed to wonder why. 'We should tell someone E, it will be different here. They have doctors. Real ones.'

Evie was dangerously close to crying.

'Mal I can't; We're in Auradon where they want me to be a reformed villain and not some stupid slut who got herself pregnant.' Tears began to fall as her voice started to sound somewhat hysterical. 'There are princes here and I have to be what they want and they will want me to be pure and perfect and my mum wants me to be the fairest of them all and-'

'Evie.' Mal interrupted, knowing that the girl would likely talk herself into having a panic attack if she let her continue. 'Babe, don't worry about them. What do you want?'

Evie stopped sobbing for a minute to look into her friend's eyes. She'd never been asked that question before.

'I-'

'And E,' Mal continued, breaking their eye contact. 'You're not a slut. You're not and you shouldn't let yourself ever think that you are.'

As the daughter of the Evil Queen opened her mouth to argue, the girls heard the bathroom door open and somebody walk in. They froze, relaxing only when they heard a familiar voice.

'Guys are you in here?' It was Lonnie.

'Yeah, one sec.' Mal answered, looking again at Evie to check she was okay.

They walked out of the cubicle together and smiled at their new classmate. Evie washed her hands in the basin, momentarily amazed at the instantly warm water and sweet smelling soap.

'Sorry about that.' She said to Lonnie over her shoulder, rolling her eyes. 'I'm sure my stomach will settle down soon.'

'So you weren't upset about the apple?' asked Lonnie, her hands up in the air as if signalling surrender. 'Because I swear I didn't mean to upset you.'

'Oh no, forget about it.' Said Evie, drying her hands on a freshly laundered towel. 'I was being overly sensitive.'

Lonnie narrowed her eyes.

'Oh okay. Hey, is your arm alright?'

Mal instantly drew her gaze to Evie's arm and saw that the cape had risen as the girl was drying her hands. She bit her lip and hoped that Evie could put years of lying to good use.

'Yeah it's fine!' Evie responded almost instantly, tugging the arm of her cape back into place. 'We just went out in the woods last week and I fell into a rose bush.'

Lonnie nodded, seemingly convinced.

'And you're sure that you're feeling okay now? Ben said that you were sick when you got here.'


	4. They got their pitchforks and proof

Lonnie continued before Evie could reply.

'Cause you know if you're not well, I might be able to help.'

Evie forced herself to smile, unconsciously placing her hands on her stomach.

'That's really kind of you, but I don't think there's anything you can do for me.'

'Evie.' Mal whispered. 'Just tell her. Tell her or I will.'

Evie's eyes widened as she turned to glare at her friend. Mal didn't even flinch.

'I think I have a pretty good idea about what's going on.' said Lonnie quietly, stepping closer to the villain kids. 'And I want you to know that I'm not going to think any less of you.'

Evie stepped backwards, not liking where the conversation was going. She shook her head.

'No Lonnie, please don't say it.'

'Are you pregnant?' The blue haired girl's silence lasted long enough for Lonnie to guess the answer. 'Oh Evie.'

'I don't need your pity.' Evie asserted quickly, crossing her arms defensively. 'I made a mistake and I will fix it. It's not like I haven't had to before.'

'Have you done a test?' Lonnie asked, prompting Mal and Evie to exchange puzzled looks, neither of them knowing what she was talking about. 'You know, a pregnancy test?'

'I don't know what that is.' Evie admitted, letting herself relax a little in the knowledge that Lonnie didn't seem to be judging her. Maybe the Auradonians really weren't that different to the kids on the Isle.

'It's a little stick that you pee on and it tells you if you're pregnant or not. I'm sure I could get you one if you want to check?' Evie shook her head.

'I don't need to check.'

'Are you sure? I mean-'

'Lonnie.' Evie interrupted gently, her tone suggesting that she was tired of the conversation topic already. 'Not to be rude, but you hardly even know me. Why do you care?'

Lonnie was taken aback by this question, as shown through her hurt expression.

'I want you to be okay.' The girl said softly. 'And I can imagine how scared you are, especially as you're dealing with this in a completely foreign environment'

Mal placed a hand on Evie's back and spoke soothingly.

'What can we actually do?' she asked. 'I mean, something tells me that teen pregnancy isn't all that common here...do you have a way of...dealing with it?'

'Well you could go to the hospital, but as you're not registered there they wouldn't see you unless Fairy Godmother was with you.' Lonnie thought for a moment, trying to decide what the best cause of action was. 'Or I could take you to see Queen Clarion.'

Mal was about to ask who that was, but Evie interjected before she could.

'The one in charge of Pixie Hollow? I've read about her. How can she help?'

'Yeah that's her.' Said Lonnie. 'Well, she's been campaigning to change the way that Auradon handles abortions.' Evie winced at the word and so Lonnie continued cautiously, watching the girl carefully. 'As it is, if you have one in the hospital you have to attend several consultations before actually being helped and there's mandatory counselling sessions after. It's all anonymous, but apparently quite invasive.'

'And so how can she help?' Mal asked sceptically, not understanding what a fairy could do for Evie.

'She made a potion that works in the same way as an abortion pill and I'm sure she'd give you some if that's really what you want. We'd just have to go to the back of The Snuggly Duckling.'

Mal wrinkled her face in confusion, whereas Evie was completely unmoving.

'What the hell is The Snuggly Duckling?'

'It's a tavern on the edge of Corona and it's only about twenty minutes from here. We could go after Chemistry'

'I'd have to see her in the back of a pub?' Evie asked faintly. 'And that soon?'

'It doesn't have to be today!' Lonnie assured her quickly. 'And it is better than it sounds, trust me! I'm sorry, I just assumed you wanted to get it over with as soon as possible.'

'You do, don't you E?' prompted Mal, squeezing her shoulder.

'Of course.' Evie forced herself to smile. 'What will Queen Clarion want in return?'

'What do you mean?' asked Lonnie, her head to the side. 'She will help you for free Evie.'

The Isle girls let out quiet, relieved sighs, grateful for not having to recreate the exchange from last year.

_'Well well. If it isn't Evie Grimhilde.' Dr Facilier had grinned as he stepped out of an alcove in the abandoned alleyway he often inhabited when he wasn't teaching. His smile grew wider as he realised that Jay, Carlos and Mal were walking beside the blue haired girl. 'I'm guessing that you're here for your second dose?'_

_Evie didn't respond; she was too busy concentrating on walking in a straight line. Mal had an arm around her waist, trying to help her along. The Evil Queen's daughter was wearing sneakers, as opposed to high heels, for the first time in over eight years and her face was ashen. Her usual blue clothes had been replaced with an old red jacket of Jay's and a pair of faded black leggings._

_'Hand it over, Facilier.' Demanded Jay with an outstretched palm. The bags under his eyes were even worse than usual and he was desperate to get his friend better again. 'She's been getting sicker just like you said and she's lost so much fucking blood. She needs that potion now.'_

_The Shadow Man merely chuckled and presented a small vial teasingly._

_'Oh Jay, have you learnt nothing in school? Never hand over your goods before checking that you're getting something decent in return.'_

_Jay gritted his teeth and turned to Carlos before grabbing a burlap sack out of the younger boy's hands and throwing it at the bokor._

_The head teacher put the potion back in his pocket before emptying the sack, his eyes glittering at the sight of various knick-knacks from Jafar's shop and a fur coat of Cruella's. The boys knew that their parents were going to go ballistic when they realised that their stuff had been stolen, but that hadn't affected their decision to help Evie in the slightest._

_Dr Facilier had approached the gang after school the day before, having heard the rumours about Evie's situation, and had offered to help. He had given her a small sample of potion and commanded her to drink it. After she did so, he'd revealed that she was going to get ill and would remain pregnant until she had another dose, something he was only prepared to give her in exchange for 'valuable goods'. Jay would've killed him then and there if Evie hadn't fainted and started to bleed._

_When she had finally woken up, unable to speak and barely reacting to them, they had taken her to Carlos' treehouse, fearing what Evil Queen would have done to her otherwise._

_'Yes...this is quite satisfactory.' Said the man, handing the potion over to Jay. 'Give her that and she'll be fine in a day or two.'_

_Jay snatched the bottle and handed it to Mal, who gently helped Evie drink it._

_'I'm sure it won't be long before we see each other here again.' Dr Facilier sneered, starting to walk away. 'She's a whore like her mother.'_

_Jay's eyes flashed dangerously and Carlos reached out impulsively to hold him back, not expecting Mal to let go of Evie and run after their principal. The purple haired girl pounced on the man, managing to push him onto the ground, and she hit his head against the cobbles before he even had a chance to cry out. She carried on hitting him until his eyes fluttered shut and stayed that way._

_She climbed off him, brushing herself down, before returning to Evie, who had been resting against the alley wall, barely watching the action._

_'You alright, E?' she asked softly. Evie nodded in response as Jay let out a low whistle._

_'Fucking hell.' he said, shaking his head. 'Something tells me that Dragon Hall will be losing a student soon.'_

_'Like I care.' Mal spat, turning Evie away and starting to walk back up the street with her. 'He got what he deserved, and you two might as well get your stuff back whilst he's unconscious.'_

After getting Evie's permission, Mal told Lonnie a watered down version of the story, wanting the girl to understand why they were anxious about asking for help. The purple haired girl had to gloss over the details of just how ill Evie had been in order to avoid crying, but she couldn't stop herself from choking up a little. Lonnie was appalled by the story and her eyes filled with tears.

'That's awful.' She said, looking at Evie in a new way. 'I'm so sorry that it happened.'

'Don't be.' Said Evie softly, looking away. 'It did and that's that.'

'Did your mom ever find out?'

Evie glared at Mal, warning her not to say anything, and shook her head.

'That doesn't matter.' Just then, a bell rang to signal the start of the afternoon lesson. Mal groaned.

'Shit, I need to find Fairy Godmother and ask where I'm going.' She said, before biting her lip. 'Lonnie will you look after her?'

'Of course.' Said Mulan's daughter, smiling at Evie. 'We'll meet you outside and go together?'

Mal nodded curtly and left the bathroom. The other two girls followed shortly after and made their way to the Chemistry labs.


	5. Baby, let the games begin

'So this is the Chemistry lab.' Said Lonnie, guiding Evie inside. The room was starting to fill with other students, all of whom were staring at the two girls. 'Ignore them.' She continued, glaring pointedly back at them.

'Lonnie! And, uh, Evie..hey!' Doug waved at them from his seat near the teacher's desk and gestured to the empty bench behind him. 'I saved seats for you guys.'

Lonnie smiled gratefully and started to walk over as Evie marvelled at the boy's thoughtfulness; sure it was just a small act, but nobody would have dared be that nice in Dragon Hall.

'Thank you.' She said to him as she sat down gracefully. 'I really appreciate it.' As Doug's cheeks reddened once again, Evie wondered if her mother would be proud of her right now. Granted, the boy didn't introduce himself as a prince, but he might have royal blood in him somewhere. And even if he didn't, he was still very obviously smitten with her.

Just then, a giggling Audrey walked through the door alongside a tall blond boy that Evie didn't recognise. The blue haired girl sat up a little straighter, wondering who he was.

'Lonnie, shouldn't we be sitting together?' asked the brunette when she had made her way over. Evie watched the blond boy sit beside Doug and take out a comb before pulling it through his hair. She wrinkled her nose at how smug his expression was; he seemed just like Anthony. Shuddering at the thought, she turned away and watched Audrey carry on moaning to Lonnie.

'We always sit together.' Lonnie replied calmly, turning to look at the bench directly behind her. 'And you can sit by Ally.'

Ally, a petite looking girl with long pale hair looked up at the sound of her name. She had an aloof appearance but made an effort to smile at Audrey, despite clearly being oblivious to what was being said. The daughter of Aurora huffed in annoyance before sitting down, slamming her books on the table. Evie looked away quickly.

'Good afternoon, class.' Said an old-ish looking man, walking in briskly and setting his briefcase on the teacher's desk. 'And to our new student Evelyn, welcome. I'm Mr Deley.'

He didn't look at Evie once during this short introduction, instead opting to organise a pile of worksheets in front of him. The villain kid frowned before remembering what her mother always told her about wrinkles.

The first half of the lesson passed quite quickly for Evie; they were learning about atomic structure and, though she'd never admit it, she was secretly enjoying it. Then Mr Deley excused himself, saying that he had to attend a staff meeting and that they should continue working until he returned, something that prompted the boy beside Doug to turn around.

'So your name's Evelyn?' he said, pouting ever so slightly as he did so.

'Yeah, but everyone calls me Evie.' She smiled as she spoke to him: not too brightly and not too modestly, just like she'd been taught.

'Cool... I'm Chad. Chad Charming.'

'As in Prince Charming's son?' Evie asked, trying her hardest to feign interest. Whilst she was moderately impressed (he was a prince after all) she couldn't help but make the connection between him and Anthony. Sure there was no blood relation there, but they still belonged to the same family and were both equally full of themselves.

'Exactly.' Came Audrey's voice from behind. She was leaning over the bench in order to eavesdrop. 'So Chad is a prince too, which means he doesn't want to associate with the children of villains.'

'Audrey, what the hell?!' exclaimed Lonnie, glaring at her friend. 'Stop being such a bitch.'

'Excuse me Lonnie? Are you seriously taking her side?'

'Guys, come on.' Said Doug, aware that the rest of the class was listening intently to the argument. 'Just chill.'

The girls did so, Lonnie turning back around and mouthing 'Sorry' to Evie, but Chad seemed almost disappointed that they were no longer fighting. He reluctantly picked his pen back up and scratched his neck with it as he read the first question again.

'Are you feeling okay about later?' Lonnie asked Evie quietly, not realising that Audrey was listening to her every word. 'If we go straight to Corona after this and talk to Queen Clarion, we should make it back in time for English.'

Evie nodded and found herself thanking her evil stars once again for letting her meet Lonnie.

'Yeah I'm feeling fine.' She said truthfully; she was glad that she hadn't felt any more urges to be sick and was looking forward to the whole mess being dealt with. If only she wasn't so damn nervous.

By the time Mr Deley returned, Evie had completed the worksheet and was checking through her answers. She couldn't help but feel proud at the fact that she had finished first, even before Doug, and she beamed as she passed the page to her teacher.

A few minutes later, a bell signifying the start of a break before the next period sounded and Lonnie nudged Evie.

'Shall we go find Mal?' she asked, receiving a nod in return. They walked out of the room and immediately came face to face with the purple haired girl.

'Hey.' She said softly, looking up at the taller girls. 'Are we ready to go?'

'Sure.' Said Evie, forcing herself to smile. 'Let's go find ourselves a fairy.'

The three walked out of the school together, well aware of the amount of eyes following them and wondering where they were going. What they failed to notice however, was a pink- clad princess walking a few steps behind them.

After a minute of silence, Lonnie tried to engage the two VKs in a conversation, leading Evie to wonder if the girl was the nicest person she'd ever met. Sure, Jay and Carlos were really sweet and yeah she loved them like brothers, but she'd also seen them at their worst, just like they had with her, and Hades knows what Mal could be like. Lonnie however, the princess thought, seemed so much softer than she'd ever thought possible.

'So, how did you two find your first class?' Lonnie asked. 'Evie, I get the feeling that you enjoyed being with Chad.'

Evie fought the urge to roll her eyes and instead adopted a sickeningly sweet tone in which she responded.

'Oh well of course! I mean, he's a prince!' the sound of her voice made her want to throw up, and she silently laughed at how- for once- it wasn't her reflection or newly forming foetus prompting her to puke.

'Wait, who the fuck is Chad?'

For a second, Evie let herself believe that Mal was jealous. She imagined that Mal hated the idea of her getting close to somebody because it meant that she'd have less time for her best friend. Deep down though, she knew that the fae was probably just concerned that Chad would distract Evie from their mission.

'He's Cinderella's son.' Said Lonnie, waggling her eyebrows.

Mal laughed half- heartedly, although her cheeks were going red.

'Oh, well, you've always been destined to marry a prince, haven't you Eves?'

The blue haired girl felt herself getting annoyed, but she couldn't quite explain why. Lonnie's giggle suddenly pushed her over the edge.

'I'm on my way to a fucking abortion; can you please stop talking about me getting married to someone I don't even know?!' she snapped, her eyes becoming a darker brown, something that only Mal noticed. 'I didn't realise that my mother hadn't stayed on the Isle after all.'

The girl who had been following them stopped dead in her tracks; this was why Lonnie chose to sit with Evie instead of her. She shook her head and smirked, forming a plan to get her friend back and to teach this pretend princess a thing or two.

Mal, meanwhile, was at a loss for words as she tried to make sense of her friend's outburst. Evie wasn't one to get offended easily and she hated to think that she'd upset her, despite how good she was supposed to feel when causing misery.

'Woah E, I'm sorry. I didn't think.'

Evie accepted the apology readily enough, her eyes returning to their warm brown shade, and the conversation died down again. Lonnie still felt concerned about what just happened though; she was usually extremely shrewd, but this was the second time that her assumptions about Evie had been challenged. She had taken her to be an intelligent, level headed girl who was perhaps kinder than the others, as suggested by how much gentler than Mal she seemed and how much more polite than the boys she was. Yet, level headed people don't tend to snap so easily, not about light teasing or being offered apples. Lonnie wondered if she was just stressing about the pregnancy before resolving to be patient and to find out if anything else was going on.

'I'm sorry Evie ' she said sincerely, before she stopped walking and looked up at a sign reading The Snuggly Duckling in front of her. 'And we're here.'

Mal grabbed Evie's hand and tried to hide her nerves, as well as the fact that she was shaking more than the taller girl.

'C'mon Eves.' she said with false confidence, following Lonnie inside and dragging Evie, who was still looking at the sign, behind her. Audrey, who had followed them the whole way, hid behind a tree near the front door and took out her phone.

'No kids allowed.' A burly man with a bald head and a moustache stood in front of the girls, his hands behind his back. 'And shouldn't you be in school?'

Mal tried to make herself taller, finding comfort in the fact that this place was the first in Auradon to even slightly resemble the Isle with its rancid smell of spilt beer and threatening atmosphere.

'We're not kids.' She said, narrowing her eyes. She hoped that it wasn't obvious that she was standing on her tiptoes.

The bald man looked at the drunks behind him before laughing heartily.

'That's what they all say.' He brought his left arm out from behind his back, revealing a gleaming hook instead of a hand. 'Yet, you still need to leave.'

Evie heard Lonnie gasp at the sight of the hook and she wasn't particularly at ease with it either; she only knew two other men who wore them, and she'd heard enough stories about them from Mal to know that they were far more than fashion accessories.

'We're not here to drink.' Said Mal, stepping back with her hands up. She didn't want to appear intimidated by some Auradonian thug when she'd dealt with far worse on the Isle, but Evie needed help and she didn't want to stand in the way of her getting it.

Hookhand looked her up and down and relaxed a little. His features seemed to turn sympathetic.

'You want Queen Clarion?'

'Yes... please.' Said Lonnie, speaking for the first time since they entered. 'Is there a back room, or...?'

The man nodded and used his hook to gesture towards a door behind the bar. The others in the pub looked away, not knowing which girl was the one seeking help, and not wanting to make the situation any worse for them. One started playing an accordion as another went back to arranging wildflowers in a vase, prompting Mal to think that perhaps The Snuggly Duckling wasn't as reminiscent of the Isle as she'd originally thought.

'The fairies will be here in a few minutes.' He grunted. 'I'll send Queen Clarion back here.'

Mal nodded her gratitude as the ruffian looked away, taking a seat in front of an old piano.

'Well that could have gone worse.' She said, shutting the door behind them as they made their way into the small room. There was only one window that was too dirty to let much light in and a grubby looking sofa. Mal sat down cross legged, her shoes resting on the material, once again feeling reminded of home.

'That's one way of thinking about it.' Evie replied quietly. She was feeling an urge to be sick again and the smell of the tavern wasn't helping her situation. 'I could feel them all staring at us, trying to work out which one was the whore.'

Before Lonnie and Mal could comfort her, Evie found herself being hit by the door, which had seemingly opened by itself. The three were looking at each other warily, when a small golden light appeared to fly in and the door shut again. Mal stood up and joined Evie and Lonnie to form a line in front of the fairy.

'Woah.' she said, in awe of the magic occurring right in front of her. 'You're an actual fairy.'

'Yes.' Said the Queen in a regal voice that was somehow both unexpected coming from her tiny form as well as perfectly fitting. 'I'm Queen Clarion, I heard that you needed to see me.'

Lonnie extended a finger, which the fairy shook gladly.

'I'm Lonnie, these are my friends Evie and Mal.' She pointed at each girl respectively and Mal gave a small wave. 'They're from the Isle.' The Queen's eyes widened as she looked between the two girls. 'Evie is-'

'Yes.' The queen interrupted, flying closer towards Evie and hovering in front of her so their eyes were level. 'I can tell that you're with child.' Her eyebrows knitted together as she flew towards the girl's stomach, causing Evie to step backwards and wrap her arms around herself. 'You don't want the baby?'

'No...' said the blue haired girl, shaking her head. 'I don't, I mean- how did you know?'

'Fairy intuition. Evie, if you're sure that this is what you want, then I can be back this evening with the potion. You take that and, relatively painlessly, the pregnancy will be terminated.'

' _Relatively_ painlessly?' repeated Mal with an arched eyebrow. 'You're a fairy; surely you can make it painless.'

Queen Clarion wrung her hands together and looked back at Evie.

'I do hope to work out how to do that one day.' She confessed. 'But I'm not there yet.'

'It's okay.' Said Evie, reassuring the fairy who was so much kinder than she could have ever imagined. 'I will be fine.'

'I'll see you in a few hours then.' Said the Queen, bowing her head. Mal opened the door so she could fly out and the girls followed suit, walking back outside.

'We have just enough time to get back for English.' Lonnie declared. When she didn't get an answer, she continued to speak but in a quieter, more thoughtful tone. 'It's kind of weird, isn't it? Seeing beautiful glittery fairies in such an unpleasant place.'

Once again, neither VK responded; Evie was oblivious to Lonnie's words, mentally trying to reassure herself that she'd be okay, and Mal was busy concentrating on her friend. Besides, she'd had years to get used to seeing a beautiful person in an environment that wasn't good enough for them.


	6. I don't like your little games

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really can't thank you enough for your comments and kudos!! They really mean so much to me and keep me inspired to write. I hope you like this chapter even though it broke my heart to write.. (I'm currently writing chapter seven though and that one is breaking it more)

The girls arrived at their English classroom just as the bell was ringing. They walked inside and joined the other students, all of whom were standing around and waiting for the teacher. Audrey was among them and she darted over to Lonnie, Evie and Mal as soon as they walked in.

'Hey!' She greeted merrily, something that led Mal and Evie to raise their eyebrows at each other; they had gained the distinct impression that Audrey wasn't a huge fan of theirs and so wondered why she was being friendly all of a sudden. 'I was wondering where you all were.'

'I was just showing Mal and Evie the grounds.' Lied Lonnie smoothly, not even considering revealing where they had really been. Sure, Audrey was her friend but Evie needed privacy. 'And I was telling them abut Mr Corelli.' As luck would have it, Corelli himself walked in at that moment, stopping Audrey from asking any more questions.

'Hello class!' He bellowed cheerfully, his hands resting on his chubby stomach as he surveyed the room. 'Today I want you to form two person groups and start a week long project about any of the novels on the reading list.' He grinned as he spoke, hoping that his students were as excited about the task as him. As usual however, he didn't provoke much of a reaction except from Audrey, who waved him over.

'Mr Corelli?'

'Yes, Audrey.' the teacher smiled at his favourite student as he approached her and the others. 'What is it?'

'Could I be paired with Evie please?'

Mal and Evie looked at each other alarmed; they would never consider not being partners.

'Oh actually, I think me and Evie were going to go together.' Tried Mal, glaring at the smug looking princess.

'Is that really wise though Mr Corelli?' Audrey asked, her tone as sweet as her mother's. 'I mean, having two villain kids together..'

'The fuck did you just say?' muttered Mal, earning her a sharp _ahem_ from the teacher.

'I just meant having two people that aren't familiar with the curriculum together.' Audrey batted her eyelashes at Mr Corelli, knowing full well that he was going to take her side.

'I think you're right Audrey.' He smiled, genuinely believing that the Auradonian was acting in everybody's best interests. 'You go with Evie.'

The two girls sat together at the front of the room, Evie looking behind at Lonnie and Mal with a pleading ' _save me_ ' type of look.

'So, Evie, which book should we do?' Audrey asked, forcing the villain kid to turn away from her friends. 'I don't suppose you've read anything from the list, have you?'

'I might have.' Evie replied coolly, unimpressed with the insinuation that she wasn't a reader. 'I love books, I just don't know which ones are on the list.'

'Oh I can help with that!' Audrey rummaged in her bag, pulling out a pale pink folder. She took a piece of paper out of it and handed it to Evie. 'This is the reading list.'

Evie scanned it, running her finger down the list as she did so, not recognising most of the titles. Her eyelids fluttered when she came across one in particular.

' _Wanting to be the Fairest: The Life and Times of Queen Grimhilde.'_

'Is that...?' Audrey looked at the title Evie was pointing at, trying to hide a triumphant smile.

'About your mom? Yeah. Corelli likes us to read a lot of different genres, including biographies.' Evie took a deep breath. She decided that, if she was ever going to stop being scared of her mother, it might as well be now.

'Have you read it?'

'Yeah, there's a few copies in the library.'

'Shall we do this one then?' Audrey inwardly groaned; she couldn't help but think this was an incredibly narcissistic move by Evie. She didn't argue however; she wanted to get on the girl's good side, for now at least.

'Sure.' She smiled at Evie, taking some plain paper and pens out of her folder. 'I guess I could write out the main points explored in it and we could work out where to go from there.'

Evie nodded her agreement.

'Maybe we could do part of the project on historical accuracy?' she said hesitantly. She was so used to having her suggestions laughed off in Dragon Hall, dismissed as being the musings of a dumb princess, that she expected Audrey to disagree immediately. 'You know, like how much of this supposedly factual book is actually fictional?'

Audrey couldn't hide her surprise at the girl's half decent plan.

'Yeah, I mean, that sounds like a perfect idea! Who better to fact check the book than the subject's daughter, right?' when Evie didn't respond, she continued. 'You know Evie, I really think that we got off on the wrong foot before and that we could be friends.'

'You do?' Evie didn't bother trying to pretend that she wasn't wary; finding it hard to trust people was an unavoidable consequence of growing up where she did. 'I didn't think you liked me.'

'Of course I like you, silly! Us princesses have to stick together after all.'

'Princesses?' Repeated Evie, frowning as she looked up. 'I thought you said-'

'I know.' Audrey interrupted quickly, starting to draw a mind map on the paper in front of them. 'I was mean and I'm truly sorry.'

Against her better judgement, Evie accepted the apology, and found the next twenty minutes of the lesson somewhat enjoyable. The more she spoke to Audrey, the more she saw similarities between her and Lonnie and she found herself feeling grateful to have made another friend already.

'So Evie, what was the Isle like?' Audrey asked, steering the topic away from Auradon and the work in front of them. 'I saw you talking to Chad in Chemistry. Do you not have a boyfriend back there?'

Evie looked away uneasily. Did she have a boyfriend? She had an admirer who would sleep with her at a moment's notice whenever she needed to feel something, but he slept with nearly everybody. Of course, then there were the men that her mother-

'Evie?'

'Oh, sorry. Yeah, no we didn't really _date_ on the Isle.' Audrey raised her eyebrows, clearly waiting for further explanation. 'I mean, of course there were-' Evie was suddenly cut off by a hiccup, and she immediately knew what was going to happen next. She covered her mouth and stood up, her chair making a loud scraping noise as she pushed it away and she ran out of the room to the nearest toilet .

Mal went to stand up, but Audrey did so first.

'Mr Corelli.' She said softly. 'I don't think Evie is very well, shall I follow her?'

'Yes, yes.' Said the teacher, nodding his head. He had been close to falling asleep until Evie had run out of the room and he hoped nobody had noticed. 'That would be lovely.'

Audrey went to find her, leaving Mal seething.

'Who the fuck does she think she is?' She demanded in a loud whisper. 'First she forces Evie to be her partner and now she is the one helping her instead of me. '

'She wasn't very nice to Evie in Chemistry.' Lonnie explained, using a blue pen to add a border around the page in front of them. 'Maybe she's just trying to make amends.'

'What do you mean she wasn't nice to her?' Mal's eyes flashed momentarily. 'What did she do? Why didn't you tell me before?'

'She didn't really _do_ anything, she just isn't very friendly around new people. I'm sure she'll look after Evie now.'

'Evie can look after herself.' Mal murmured, trying to ignore the memories of times when Evie failed to do so and she was left to pick up the broken pieces. 'And at least Audrey's nothing compared to what she's used to.'

Meanwhile in the bathroom, Aurora's daughter was patting Evie on the back with one hand and holding her hair in the other as she spoke soothingly. When nothing more was coming out with her coughs, Evie leaned back against the cubicle wall and exhaled slowly.

'I'm so sorry.' She said with closed eyes. 'It must have been the cafeteria food.'

This was when Audrey laughed unkindly, causing Evie to re-open her eyes.

'I know exactly why you were sick.' She said, straightening up so she was even taller than the sitting girl. 'And it has nothing to do with our food, which I'm pretty sure you didn't eat anyway.'

'What do you mean?' Evie was defensive now; she'd heard enough people use this tone on the Isle to know that it was never good news. She'd even adopted it herself on multiple occasions, most often when telling Ginny Gothel to leave Carlos alone.

Audrey took out her phone, presenting it to Evie with a picture of her, Lonnie and Mal entering the Snuggly Duckling on display.

'There's only one reason why underage girls go to that pub.' Said Audrey, her sweet voice returning but seeming far more sinister than before. 'I know it, and so does everybody else.'

Evie's eyes widened.

'Audrey, no, it's not going to be what you think.'

'Oh shut up, it's exactly what I think.' Audrey crouched down so that she was looking straight into Evie's eyes. 'You're pregnant.'

Evie willed herself for the power to lie. She knew she should be able to; she'd done it for years: to her mom, her friends, even herself, but something about Audrey's intimidating glare made it impossible. She nodded dejectedly, causing Audrey to sneer.

'I knew it. I told Ben that he'd be bringing a bunch of criminals and whores over with this stupid decree.' She put her phone back into her pocket. 'But I won't show anybody my pictures if you do me a little favour.'

'What kind of favour?' Asked Evie, wanting to be sick again as soon as she heard the words leave her mouth. She hoped that 'favours' were different in Auradon than they were back home.

'I want you to leave Lonnie alone.' Stated Audrey simply, standing up once again. 'She's my best friend and I don't want you corrupting her.'

'But I _like_ Lonnie.' Evie stood up too, wondering how the hell she could have believed that Audrey was a good person.

'Maybe you do.' Audrey said mockingly before smirking. 'But I'm guessing that you like people not knowing that you're a child murderer even more.'

The blue haired girl shook her head slowly, trying to comprehend the fact she was being blackmailed in _Auradon._ Where 'goodness doesn't get any better'. What a fucking joke.

'Audrey, please. I haven't even had the, the'

'Abortion?' Audrey raised her eyebrows. 'Maybe villains do have a conscience if you're feeling too guilty to say it.' The blue haired girl looked at her expectantly. 'Fine. Go back to the pub with her and you can be as friendly as you like tonight.' Evie breathed a small sigh of relief; this was a slight improvement. 'From tomorrow though, you aren't to be civil to her. Not unless you want everybody to know that the woman who killed a fourteen year old girl raised a daughter who killed an unborn baby.'

Audrey opened the cubicle door and walked over to the mirror, stopping to adjust her hairband. Evie flushed the toilet and followed her to wash her hands.

'You know, Mal-'

'Oh that's the other thing.' Audrey interrupted brightly, turning to the villain kid. 'Don't tell Mal about our little conversation.'

Evie's face turned even paler at the thought of having to face this without being able to talk to her best friend about it.

'But-'

'No, no. No buts. Don't tell _any_ of your little friends, or the whole school finds out your secret. That's if the King and Queen let you stay.' She looked at Evie pityingly. 'I was going to tell you to stay away from Chad too, but it's not like he'd ever actually want you.' With this, she gave a small smile and took the VK's hand, leading her out of the bathroom and back to their English class.

'She's done something to Evie.' Said Mal, as soon as the girls walked back in.

'What do you mean?'

'Look at her!' Mal's concern was understandable; Evie was clearly on edge and she couldn't stop trembling, even when she had sat down. 'I'm going to kill that bitch.'

'Mal!' said Lonnie, elbowing her lightly as a warning for her to keep her voice down. 'She's just been sick for like the hundredth time today, obviously she isn't looking at her best.'

'That's not it.' Mal insisted through gritted teeth. Before she could tap Evie on the back to get her to turn around, the bell sounded and the other students started to pack their things away. Audrey was one of the first to leave, waving at Mr Corelli and Evie as she did so but not saying anything to Lonnie or Mal.

'Evie are you alright?' Lonnie asked, hoping that Mal wouldn't immediately start to suggest that Audrey had done goodness knows what.

'Yeah.' The blue haired girl reassured them, starting to walk out of the room. 'I'm totally fine.' As the girls walked down the hallway, Mal about to ask her own question, Ben came up from the other direction and stopped them.

'Hey guys! Mal, I was actually just looking for you.'

'For me?' the daughter of Maleficent pointed to herself, trying to work out what the prince could possibly need her for.

'Yeah, do you think that you could come with me for a sec?'

Evie gazed at Mal pleadingly, willing her to say no; she didn't want to go back to The Snuggly Duckling without her, she couldn't.

'I mean, yeah sure.' Said Mal with a smile. She looked at the other two girls, ignoring their looks of surprise. 'That's fine, right Evie?'

Evie couldn't even make herself speak, but it didn't matter as Ben put his arm around Mal and took her back they way they'd just come. Lonnie stepped in front of Evie and took hold of her hands.

'Woah Eves, I don't know what just happened there, I literally have no idea, but if you want to wait and go another day I know that Queen Clarion will understand.'

Evie shook her head and sniffed, not wanting to delay the inevitable for any longer.

'No, it's fine.' She said breezily, prompting Lonnie to walk beside her again. 'It's okay, Mal might even meet us there.' Evie wondered if she was convincing Lonnie that she was indifferent to Mal's behaviour, because she sure as hell wasn't convincing herself.


	7. You gotta leave before you get left

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so so much for the kudos and reviews! I really hope you like this update, and I moved the part that broke my heart to the next chapter, so you have that to look forward to..! Trigger warning for a description of self harm near the end of this chapter.

The walk to The Snuggly Duckling seemed a lot shorter than it had done previously, Evie thought miserably as they approached the front door. The last thing she wanted to do was walk inside again. When they stopped just outside, she found herself looking at the surrounding trees to see if Audrey was hiding somewhere.

'It will be over before you know it.' Lonnie said, her good intentions not enough to stop Evie from panicking at the words she'd heard too many times before.

'W-what?' she could feel herself going faint but she managed to stay upright, just as Queen Clarion came out through one of the pub's windows, holding a bottle that was almost the same size as her.

'Evie?' the fairy flew over, dropping the potion bottle into Lonnie's hand. 'Evie, darling what's wrong?'

'Oh I'm fine.' Said the girl, fighting hard to avoid swaying and not wanting to make a big deal out of her reaction. 'I'm just feeling a little faint.'

'Have you had any food?' Queen Clarion pressed, reaching out a delicate hand to feel Evie's forehead. 'I could ask Atilla for one of his cakes if you think that will help.'

'She hasn't eaten since she arrived.' Lonnie revealed, oblivious to the groan that Evie promptly let out. 'She can eat at school before she takes this though, right?'

'Yes that will be okay.' The Queen responded. 'It's probably for the best too; the pain from the potion would be much worse on an empty stomach.'

'Thank you Queen Clarion.' Said Evie, her voice husky. She was truly grateful; the fairy had helped her with no judgement or promise of anything in return, but she was heavy hearted at the thought of having to go through this process again. Sure, it would be completely different compared to last time, but it didn't mean that it wouldn't be awful. And to top it all off, she'd have to go back into the Auradon cafeteria now and actually eat a full meal. She tried to ignore all those thoughts as the Queen nodded to her before flying back inside, her face still etched with worry.

'At least Mal can be with you when it take it now.' Said Lonnie. She was still keeping an eye on Evie, worried that she might collapse thanks to her deathly pale complexion.

'I guess.' The blue haired girl replied, wincing at the reminder that her best friend had disappeared just when she needed her.

'And for the record, I think you're doing the right thing.'

'Would you do the same?' Evie didn't mean to sound so accusing, and she hated that her question made Lonnie pause for as long as it did.

'That doesn't matter now.'

They walked in silence until, all of a sudden, Evie spoke again quietly.

'My mom did find out that I had been pregnant.'

Lonnie cocked her head to one side, wondering why Evie had decided to tell her now.

'Evie, you don't have to.'

'It's fine.' The villain kid said, as softly as before but somewhat firmer. She knew that she could trust Lonnie and she didn't want to keep this from her, especially as she didn't know when she'd next be able to speak to her. 'Mal and the boys kept me up in Carlos' treehouse for days, until I was properly conscious again and I'd stopped bleeding. Jay then snuck into our castle to get some of my clothes and my mom followed him back. I still don't think he's forgiven himself for not checking behind him.'

'She didn't take it well then?'

Evie laughed humourlessly and made her hands into fists, digging her nails into her palms.

'She was furious. We heard her coming up the ladder and were terrified, even more so when she stormed in. She took one look at me and knew exactly what had happened.' Evie's breaths turned shallow as the memory replayed inside her head.

_'Oh Evelyn.' Queen Grimhilde muttered, her facial features twisted with disgust. 'You stupid girl.'_

_Evie, who had only just changed into her clean clothes, tried to stand up but her legs were shaking too badly._

_'Mom, I-'_

_'I don't want to hear it.' The woman snapped, grabbing her daughter's arm tightly and pulling her into a standing position. 'I said get some experience not get damaged! What prince will want a slut like you now? You're pathetic.'_

_She pushed Evie back down and spat at her before kicking the bundled up, blood stained clothes to her._

_'And don't even think about coming home with your clothes in that state.' She swept out of the treehouse without another word, not even looking at the other kids. Evie cradled her arm silently._

_'You fucking evil bitch!' Mal screamed after the queen, tears of frustration dripping down her cheeks. This was one of the only times that Mal had shown weakness in front of people. 'You don't deserve her!' She didn't receive a response, and soon busied herself with tugging the rope ladder up so it rested beside her, ensuring that they'd have no more unwelcome visitors._

_The purple haired girl then sat down next to Evie, squeezing her tightly. 'You're not damaged.' She whispered, getting as close to her as possible. 'You're not.'_

_The boys had watched the exchange in horror, Carlos feeling physically sick at seeing his idol being treated in such a way. Jay was going red in anger._

_'Mal.' He growled, standing up and holding out his hand. 'We're not letting her get away with that.'_

_'Jay, no.' Said Evie weakly. 'You can't pick a fight with my mom.'_

_'Like fuck I can't!' he replied vehemently, hot tears forming in his eyes. 'Evie, you can't let her treat you like that.'_

_'Jay.' This was Carlos, the one person who could talk sense into Jay when he became that passionate about something. 'She's right. You know that EQ can do far worse... all of our parents can.'_

_That reminder silenced the son of Jafar as he remembered how close all of their parents were, and how- if they were to start something with one- they would face the wrath of all four._

_'I don't care.' Jay insisted, not wanting to stand back and let Evie be made to feel like trash by some bitter old hag when she'd barely survived the past few days. He didn't push it any further though._

'Your mom is a cow.' Lonnie said bluntly, before biting her lip. 'Oh I'm so sorry, I meant, well...'

'Don't worry.' Evie smiled reassuringly. 'I mean, she is. I wish I could say that that's the worst thing she ever said to me.' Evie tensed suddenly, realising that- although Lonnie was her friend- she was still a complete stranger. Besides, even though part of her wanted to share what had happened to her, she knew she shouldn't;

' _Oversharing is not attractive, Evie.' Her mother had told her countess times, usually when the girl was trying to tell her mom something important. 'You are a lot more beautiful when you don't talk.'_

'It's fine now though.' She continued quickly. 'I mean, I'm fine now.'

Lonnie slowed her pace, looking at the VK closely.

'Evie, I know we don't really know each other, but you can tell me anything and I promise I will try to understand. I don't know how to help with all the stuff that you've been through, but I know how to listen.'

'Maybe another day.' Said Evie, her voice sounding sleepy. There were just arriving back at Auradon Prep now. 'It's not like I don't have plenty of sad stories anyway.'

'Just because you have them doesn't mean you are one.'

Evie didn't know how to react to that comment; it was so gentle and well meaning that her heart couldn't take it. She felt tears spring into her eyes.

'Oh no, I am so sorry!' Lonnie was mortified at the thought that she had upset the girl again, and she tried to figure out what she had done. 'I'll take you back to your dorm before dinner and we can talk.'

Evie nodded silently and Lonnie shepherded her inside, sheltering her from the nosy looks coming from the other students.

'FG said the door would be unlocked.' she garbled, turning the handle several times until it finally opened. The girls walked inside and Lonnie let the door close by itself.

'Evie, whatever I said- I'm sorry.'

'It wasn't you.' Evie sniffed, instantly regretting it as she remembered what her mom had always told her about sniffing and how ugly she was when she did it. She blinked several times, trying to clear her eyes and take in her surroundings. 'I just...I'm a bit emotional and you were being so nice. I'm sorry.'

'No, no, you never have to apologise to me.'

Evie inhaled deeply; she knew that soon all she was going to want to do was apologise to her.

'And honestly Lonnie, I don't quite feel up to dinner. I'd rather just have a lie down for a bit.'

'Oh, okay.' Replied Mulan's daughter, obviously unhappy about this. 'Well I'll stay with you then, I can text Audrey to bring us up some food.'

'No!' Evie surprised herself with her sudden shout, provoked by the thought of having to face Audrey and Auradonian food at the same time. She composed herself quickly. 'I mean, no that's fine. I'm not hungry.'

'Evie..' said Lonnie, stepping closer to the girl. 'You have to eat; you've been so ill today and to not have any food would just be dangerous, besides you heard what Queen Clarion said.'

'Lonnie.' Evie warned, her voice sounded threatening, something that Lonnie immediately picked up on. 'Please, just go.'

'But the potion.'

'Lonnie, has it ever crossed your mind that maybe I don't _want_ to take the potion?' Evie regretted every word as she tried to conjure up something that she knew would upset the girl. She didn't want to push Lonnie away so soon, but she didn't want her secret to get out more. 'You never actually asked if I wanted to keep the baby because you care more about my eating habits.'

'Well I didn't think-'

'No, you didn't. Is it because I'm from the Isle so obviously I don't want a kid?'

'Where is all of this coming from?' Lonnie asked helplessly, wishing that Mal or Ben or _somebody_ was here with her. 'Please just calm down, I want to help you feel okay.'

'Lonnie, just go.'

'Evie, I don't want to leave you alone-'

'Now!' Evie could feel her eyes burning, and Lonnie retreated hastily as she saw them change colour for the second time that day. 'For fuck's sake Lonnie, _take a hint.'_

The girl did as she was told and left the room, not before leaving the potion bottle on the top of a chest of drawers. She felt distraught at leaving Evie in that state and so went to find the other villain kids.

Evie meanwhile had started crying again, this time in pure anger; she was annoyed at Audrey for forcing her to push Lonnie away, at Mal for not being with her, and most of all at herself for getting in her position in the first place. She closed every curtain in the room with an angry tug, ripping three of them in the process, in order to stop anybody from looking in and seeing her. Not even the room's decoration, which even in her frustration she found beautiful, could take her mind off of how different things would be if she hadn't slept with Anthony again.

She could have been out with her friends and Lonnie, sightseeing in Auradon and secretly hatching a plan to steal the wand, or flirting with Chad, not that she even wanted him. It was then that she saw the potion bottle out of the corner of her eye and retrieved it, hesitating only slightly before removing the lid and drinking it in one gulp. It didn't really taste of anything and she didn't feel any immediate effect, so she tossed the vial aside and opened the door on the leftmost wall.

The first thing she noticed was how clean the bathroom was; every surface gleamed; there was no rust on the taps; even the toilet looked spotless. Evie looked up at the shower, an invention she'd only ever heard about, amazed at how pristine and complicated it looked compared to the grotty old bath she had at home. She opened the glass door in front of it and got closer to fiddle with the controls, gasping when she was suddenly drenched in freezing cold water. After stepping out again, she took off her clothes and folded them up on the floor, deciding that a thorough wash might be just the thing to take her mind of the mess that was her life.

The water had warmed up by the time the girl got back inside, so she let herself relax and take in the items on the shelf beside her. She could see different sized bottles of various colours, as well as a glass case with razors and pumice stones inside. Evie washed her hair first, sighing as the lightly scented shampoo filled her nostrils, before she soaped up her hands with a pink body wash and began to clean her body. Never before had she felt so new and refreshed, she thought, opening up the glass box and taking out a razor. It felt different to the ones she'd had on the Isle despite being the same size and shape; those had all been used before by people from Auradon and so were rusty and battered. This one was beautiful. Evie used it to shave up her legs, amazed at how smoothly it moved, never once catching her skin. She used the same gentle strokes on her other leg too, before straightening up. She hadn't noticed the mirror opposite the shower door before; she'd been too busy washing, but now she couldn't take her eyes off it. After wiping the condensation from the shower door to get a better look, Evie could tell that it had a special design; there was no mist on the looking glass at all, something that enabled her to have a perfect view of herself.

Normally of course, this would be an excellent thing; her mother always stressed the importance of checking one's appearance as often as possible. Today however, when Evie had cried off most of her make up with the rest dripping down her face thanks to the water, the mirror wasn't a particularly welcome item in the room. The villain kid turned from side to side, hardly even stressing about her smudged eyeliner in favour of clutching her stomach that seemed far too big to belong to her.

'Fuck.' She said simply, hoping that it was just stress bloating or perhaps a side effect of the potion. 'Fuck.' Suddenly, the razor slipped from her hand, the top breaking off it as it dropped onto the marble beneath her feet. Evie picked up the pieces reluctantly, pissed at her carelessness. As she did so, the scars on her wrist caught her eye.

What was the explanation she gave Lonnie? Ah, rose bushes- as if anything like that grew on the Isle. She'd have to remember that excuse.

 _Or not_. Her inner voice jeered _. It's not like you'll be speaking to her again soon._

'Fuck.' She repeated again, conscious of just how hard Auradon life was going to be without her new friend. She toyed with the head of the razor, lifting the edge up with her fingernail to get a look at the blade inside. Deciding that it was of no use without a handle anyway, she got to work dismantling the item, finding it no more difficult that it was on the Isle. When she was done, she held the two blades and the useless plastic part in her hand, having put the other parts on the shelf. Evie put her head to one side, the shower still on and rinsing her hair for her, as she wondered about what she should do. Would the effort of covering up a new patch of skin be worth the small release she was going to get? Probably not, but as she was going to have to cover the places that already had scars anyway...

She gasped as she dragged the blade across her arm, blood pouring out almost instantly. This was merely further proof that the razors were a lot better before they got on the barges for the Isle. Again and again, she reopened old cuts until she felt her stress leave her, spiralling down the plug hole like the crimson coloured water.

When the majority of her thighs and wrists could no longer be seen due to the amount of blood covering them, Evie put the blades on the shelf and began to rinse her body, revelling in how the hot water made her wince as much as the actual cutting did. It wasn't until she'd turned off the shower that she realised she had no towel to dry herself with, and that she was standing in an Auradonian en- suite whilst her body and hair dripped blood and water.

'Fucking hell.' She mourned her lack of insight as she opened each cupboard in the room, finding cleaning supplies and toilet roll until, _finally_ , blue and yellow towels. She took out one of each, wrapping the lighter coloured one around her hair and the other around her body, hoping that her blood wouldn't show up on the blue material.


	8. They say she's gone too far this time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who's still reading! This chapter (at the end) includes the part that really made my heart ache when I wrote it... I hope you enjoy it though ♡

Evie picked up her clothes and padded back into the bedroom, patting herself dry before getting dressed. She was about to sort out her hair when she heard two familiar voices in the hallway outside.

'Lonnie said it was room 157. I know she did.'

'What if she meant that her room was 157 and that we need to knock next door?'

Evie walked over to the door and opened it to be met with the sheepish faces of Jay and Carlos.

'Oh, hey Evie.' Said Jay. 'We were..'

'Looking for me?' she raised an eyebrow and opened the door further, moving to the side to let them in. 'Why?'

'We wanted to check in.' This was Carlos, who was fidgeting with his fingers as he spoke. 'Lonnie thought something might be wrong.'

'Did she say what?'

'No..' Jay was walking around the room, keenly taking note of all the little trinkets. 'Should she have?'

'Of course not; I'm fine.' Evie smiled at her friends, not so secretly thrilled to see them again. She was about to ask them how they were finding Auradon, when she suddenly doubled up in pain.

'Woah, Evie are you alright?' the boys rushed to her side, helping her sit on the bed.

'What's wrong?'

'I'm fine.' She gasped, clutching her stomach. 'It'll pass in a minute.' Jay looked at Carlos, completely clueless about what he should do.

'Evie are you sure?' asked the long haired boy, sitting beside her. 'You really haven't seemed well today.'

'Yeah, I mean what's with the puking?' that was Carlos again, crouching on the floor beside her. He hated to think that Evie was ill. 'It hasn't stopped you eating, has it?' He always made a point of monitoring Evie's eating habits, well aware that she could be as strict about her allowed food intake as her mother.

'Of course not, 'Los. Honestly I'm okay. I think I was just sick because I was excited.' It was a poor excuse and she knew it; even though she had been fairly excited about leaving the Isle, she was never at the so-happy-I'm-going-to-be-sick stage. 'You know, about the princes.'

'Speaking of, have you seen any?' asked Jay, squeezing his friend's hand. He knew how sensitive she could get about boys and he hoped that he wasn't crossing a boundary.

'A few.' She smiled weakly, her stomach cramps easing slightly. 'You know guys, I'm actually really tired and I think I might have a sleep.'

'Are you sure? Well, why don't you get settled?' Jay stood as he suggested this, allowing Evie to lie down. As she did, her sleeve bunched up ever so slightly. 'Evie..'

She knew that he'd seen the new cuts and she cursed mentally, angry that she hadn't covered them with makeup before getting dressed. _Why had she assumed that she was safe?_

'What's wrong?' asked Carlos, sensing the worry in Jay's voice. Evie adjusted her sleeve before he had time to see the marks and she looked at Jay desperately.

'Nothing...hey Carlos can we have a minute?'

'Seriously?' The younger boy couldn't hide the hurt in his voice, but complied anyway by waiting in the corridor; he knew that one of them would explain soon enough. He just hated not knowing.

'Evie..' Jay repeated, looking down at her sleeve. She knew that he thought she'd stopped months ago, mainly because she'd promised him that she had. 'I-'

'It's okay, Jay. I was just overwhelmed.'

'You were what?'

'You know, being here, being around _actual_ princesses...I just wasn't feeling great. I'm okay now.'

'Amira, you can't keep doing this. Please don't just pretend that you're fine.'

'I am fine!' Evie protested, only for Jay to take hold of her arm and ever so gently reveal her torn up skin again.

'This isn't fine.' His tone remained as calm as ever; he never raised his voice, for he knew better than anyone how awful being shouted at could feel. 'Eves, please, just be honest.'

Looking into his earnest brown eyes, Evie felt like maybe she could be honest. Like, for once, nothing bad would happen if she told the truth. Before she could stop herself, she began to relay bits and pieces of what was worrying her in between small sobs.

'I just don't fit in.' she said, her first tear falling. 'And Audrey hates me already and so does Lonnie now, and Chad will never fall in love with me, and I think I'm gaining weight and I feel like I've fucked up already here and I just, I really want _Mal_.'

'Mal?' Evie breathed in sharply; she hadn't meant to say that last part. 'That's a good point...where is she?'

'I don't... I don't know.' Evie spoke through gritted teeth; she could feel another shooting pain in her stomach. 'Jay please, I really do need to sleep. You can take the blades if you don't trust me.' With that, she tucked her legs up under her arms on the bed and squeezed her eyes shut, causing Jay to sigh.

'See you, Evie.' He said, not bothering to find them; he knew from experience that not having easy access to a weapon for self harm does more harm than good. If she really wants to hurt herself, he reasoned, she will find a way. At least blades are better than some things.

Evie soon fell asleep, despite still wearing her normal clothes, and she didn't wake up when Doug knocked to remind her about dinner, or when Mal creeped in later on and went to bed herself. It was only the light pouring in through the windows that morning that got her to open her eyes.

'Where...?' she sat up, painfully aware of a dull throbbing in her stomach. It took her a minute to remember where she was, and she couldn't hide her relief at seeing Mal.

'Evie! Oh thank Hades, I thought we had a Sleeping Beauty situation on our hands.' The purple haired girl bounced over, wearing a violet dress made by Evie as well as her signature leather jacket. 'You were asleep when I got back and I didn't want to wake you.'

 _Where were you?!_ Evie wanted to scream, memories of what happened the day before coming flooding back.

'I missed you.' She settled for instead; she couldn't shout at her best friend, especially not when she really had missed her. She wondered if Mal had spoken to Lonnie or Jay, and whether or not she should be expecting a lecture.

'Did it go okay?'

Evie nearly asked why she wasn't there. Why she left her with a stranger in favour of _some boy_ but then she remembered; she was nothing compared to actual royalty. Sure, her mom technically had a title but she was nothing if she couldn't marry a prince. Besides, she was lucky that Mal was even her friend. Would she still be if she knew what she'd said to Lonnie? What she'd done in the shower?

'Yes it did, thank you.'

'Did it..did it hurt?'

'Not like last time.' Evie said truthfully. 'I think I must have slept through the worst of it.'

'Do you want to get some breakfast?'

'Well my stomach is still sore, so I wasn't going to.'

'Evie..' said Mal, her hair falling in her face. 'Please..I can bring you something?'

Evie wanted to say yes, she really did, not because she was hungry; _hunger is strength, Evelyn,_ but because she hated to disappoint Mal. She tried to agree, but she just couldn't get the memory of her reflection yesterday out of her head.

'Truthfully Mal-'

'E.' The fae warned, well versed in Evie's excuses. 'She's not here; you can eat whatever you want. Please don't punish yourself.'

'Okay.' Evie said simply, knowing that she could find a way out of eating whatever she was brought. 'Please bring me something little and I will do my hair whilst you're gone.'

'Perfect!' Mal grinned as she made her way out of their room, stopping to knock at Lonnie's door so they could walk together.

Evie sighed and stood up. She noticed that her bags had been brought in so she rooted through them looking for an outfit. The girl eventually decided on a long sleeved blue jumper with her signature crown embroidered on as well as a teal skirt and heels.

After taking the towel off her head, she realised that she hadn't brushed her hair after her shower and she groaned at how matted and damp it felt. Thinking back to Audrey's gorgeously soft waves, she understood why her mother was constantly berating her; real princesses just didn't forget to comb their hair. She wasn't even close to being the fairest of them all.

Evie brushed her tangles gently, wincing every time she heard a hair break and considering, not for the first time, cutting it all off. Yes it had taken her years to grow, and some days it was probably her best feature, but- despite all the compliments it earned her- she wasn't fond of it; it brought back too many bad memories.

_A young Evie, one who had never met Anthony Tremaine and who had barely begun to get to know the rest of the core four, sat in front of her mother's looking glass. The Evil Queen was giving her a lesson on how to correctly wear a crown, using one of her old glass tiaras._

_'Your hair is getting darker with every new day.' The woman noted, clearly displeased. 'It should be doing the opposite.'_

_'Mal said she likes my hair.' Evie said, smiling at the thought of her friend- well- her acquaintance._

_'She did, did she? Well Evelyn, you should care more about the opinions of men than about the opinions of people like her.'_

_Evie squirmed as her mother ran her fingers across her scalp._

_'She said that dark hair is cool and that she thinks it's as black as ebony.'_

_As soon as she heard those words leave her daughter's lips, Queen Grimhilde closed her fingers around a huge section of her hair and pulled it as hard as she could._

_'Don't ever say that again.' Ignoring Evie's cries, she dragged her daughter into the bathroom, locking the door behind them and shoving her into a corner._

_She looked under the sink at the different chemicals she had managed to take from the barges and buy from Dr Facilier, all to help show Evie how to mix potions. A satisfied smile came across her face when she found the two bottles she'd been looking for, leading her to pour them into one container . After plugging the sink, she commanded Evie to walk over, taking her by surprise when she pushed her head down._

_'It will be over before you know it.' The queen said through gritted teeth, starting to empty the newly mixed ammonia and hydrogen peroxide onto her daughter's hair._

_Evie felt the burning sensation as soon as the chemicals touched her scalp, but her screams did nothing to help her situation. Grimhilde continued pouring until every inch of hair seemed covered, indifferent to it burning both her hands and Evie's face. When she was finally done, she let the girl lift her head._

_'Now you will look more like Cinderella than that awful Snow White.' Said the woman, suddenly calm and speaking almost dreamily. 'And you might, for once, be the fairest of them all.'_

_Evie was terrified; she'd witnessed her mother's erratic behaviour before and she couldn't count the number of bruises she'd suffered as a result, but this was insane. Barely able to keep her eyes open due to the smell and burning sensation, the villain kid fumbled with the lock on the door before running out of the castle and trying to find Mal._

_She could hear the whisperings on the street as she ran past the inhabitants of the Isle, but she tried to block them out; the only person she wanted to hear was Mal. Evie soon reached Bargain Castle and rapped on the door until it was finally opened by none other than Maleficent. Her fury at having an unwelcome guest however, soon subsided when she took in the appearance of the girl in front of her._

_'And you are?'_

_'Oh my god..Evie?' Mal had come up behind her mother, wanting to know who dared knock so boldly at their house, and it took her a minute to register what had happened. 'Was this your mom?'_

_Evie, still crying from the pain of bleach burning her skin, nodded._

_'Oh EQ..' if Evie hadn't known better, she might have suggested that Maleficent sounded somewhat sympathetic in that moment. As it was, she knew what the fairy was capable of, and her sudden retreat inside instead suggested mere indifference._

_Mal grabbed an old towel off the kitchen counter as well as Evie's hand before starting to walk away._

_'Do you want to go and find Jay and Carlos?' Evie shook her head, not wanting anybody else to see her in that state. Mal didn't question her anymore, instead choosing to lead her friend to their hideout ,most importantly to the sink there. She helped wipe the chemicals off Evie's face, taking care not to hurt her even more, but was at a temporary loss regarding what she should do with her hair. The girl fingered her own purple locks, inspiration suddenly striking._

_'We can go to Lady Tremaine's?' she suggested, remembering where she had taken her hair dye from. 'She might know what to do.' Evie agreed, finally starting to feel better now that she was in Mal's presence, and the two walked towards Curl Up & Dye together._

_'We're not open!' came the screeching voice of Drizella when the two villain kids walked in. She turned around with her hands on her hips, prepared to throw them out. The sight of Evie however, muted her._

_'We need to see your mother.' Said Mal, her voice making it clear that she wasn't leaving until she got her way. 'Now.'_

_The brunette nodded and left to find the woman, prompting her sister to come out of the back room._

_'Drizella, you can't just stop sweeping-' she trailed off when Mal raised her eyebrows at her, snorting when she saw the state of Evie's hair. 'Well, somebody has had a little DIY disaster.'_

_'Do you want to fucking repeat that?' snarled Mal, advancing towards the red head. She was only young, and she hadn't known Evie for long, but she was fiercely protective and notorious on the Isle for being so._

_'Mal, dear..' the voice of Lady Tremaine sounded from the bottom of the staircase and Mal looked over to see her holding a set of newly folded towels. 'My daughter said you need help.'_

_'Yeah.. it's my friend.' Mal gestured towards Evie, impressed by the stepmother's ability to keep her expression completely neutral; Evie didn't need to feel any more embarrassed._

_'I don't think I know how to fix that.' The woman confessed, gently taking hold of a bleached strand. 'The colour's already been stripped and I don't have a dark enough dye to put it back.'_

_'You could make it blue.' Piped up a small voice. It came from a girl, who could have been no more than six years old, wearing glasses and a dress splattered with paint. Mal and Evie hadn't even realised that she was there. 'Your hair is purple to match your clothes, so hers could be blue.'_

_'Oh don't be ridiculous, Dizzy.' Said her grandmother, shooing her away. 'She is a princess, she won't-'_

_'Yes please.' Said Evie, speaking for the first time since leaving her mom. 'I want it blue.' She crouched down to Dizzy's height and smiled at her. 'Do you have any ideas for how it should be styled?'_

_The little girl grinned, thrilled that somebody actually liked her suggestion for once._

_'How about some little braids?'_

Evie curled up into a small ball, willing herself to think of anything but her life on the Isle, conscious that she'd have to be in class soon and she didn't want to look she'd been crying. After a few minutes, she heard Mal walk in and close the door.

'What the hell did you say to Lonnie?' she asked. Her tone wasn't quite angry, but she was clearly confused. Evie noted that she'd forgotten to bring any food with her. 'She's been pretty decent to us since we got here and you're turning all EQ on her already?'

Evie sat up, raising her eyebrows at Mal's suggestion that she was like her mother but deciding to ignore it. She guessed that Lonnie had filled her in about their altercation over breakfast.

'Is it any of your business what I said to her?'

'What do you mean?' asked Mal, sitting on the bed beside her.

'Well I didn't think you cared about what I got up to, you know since you didn't even bother coming with me last night.'

At least Mal had the decency to look ashamed, Evie thought, watching the purple haired girl bow her head.

'I'm sorry, Eves. I should have gone with you, but I didn't know how to say no to Ben.'

Evie thought back to the smiley brunette boy who had welcomed them and she hated him. Him, Audrey, they were all the same.

'So you thought it was okay to be with him instead?'

'You had Lonnie!' Mal continued defensively, not looking Evie in the eye. 'It's not like you were on your own.'

'Lonnie isn't you Mal.' The shaking Evie tried to compose herself; she didn't want Mal to know how badly she had wanted her to be there and how upset she was to know for sure that she had come second to a stupid prince. Villains were supposed to be independent and strong, not weak and pathetic.

'Well I figured that he's the easiest way for me to win this bet with Jay; you know I can't stand losing anything like that.'

Evie was taken aback by this answer, unable to believe Mal's priorities.

'So a stupid bet was more important than me?' she asked, her voice breaking. A single tear rolled down her cheek, so much for being strong.

'No! I-' Mal sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. She waited for a few moments before continuing. 'I'm sorry. I know you must be feeling like crap.'

Evie rolled her eyes and replied angrily, her heartache being replaced with a feeling of annoyance. She didn't want to snap, but she couldn't help herself.

'You don't know shit, Mal.'

' _Excuse_ me?'

'You haven't even had sex, let alone an abortion. You can't even pretend to know how I'm feeling.'

Mal scoffed, shaking her head. She was too annoyed to register that Evie- _her Evie_ \- would never be cruel without sufficient reason.

'Well I'm sorry that I don't need to sleep with everyone I meet to feel like I'm worth something.' She didn't even have time to regret her words, her temper immediately flaring up as it so often did.

'And you think I do?'

'Well I think it's pretty obvious that you do; on our first day here you were throwing yourself at some prince, despite being pregnant with somebody else's baby at the time.'

Mal's voice was clearly disdainful, something that hurt Evie more than the actual words she was using. She'd always believed that Mal didn't mind her being the way she was around boys; she thought she understood that it was what her mother wanted, the same way Evie knew that Mal never wanted to do half of the stuff she did on the Isle. She couldn't bring herself to reply but Mal, who was getting angrier by the second, had no qualms about continuing.

'God Evie, I didn't know Auradon would turn you into such a bitch.'


	9. My reputation's never been worse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sorry that I haven't updated in so long! I have been having a load of problems with family and friends and things, but on the bright side, D3 is confirmed and I have finally started watching Girl Meets World! I have also been offered a part time writing job which is a literal dream, but I have to go to London for a one off workshop and my mum won't let me go on my own so I am probably going to miss out on it??
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story so far and I hope you still like this, even though I fear that this chapter isn't that great. I guess I just wanted to show a bit more background for Evie and how much she and Mal care for each other but I kind of ended up going in a different direction.

_For the first time since it was created, the Isle of the Lost looked almost beautiful; the few working lights near the docks were flickering on and off in a steady rhythm, making the murky water look as if it was sparkling, and left-over streamers and balloons from a celebration in Auradon had been taken from the barges and used to decorate the pier and the waterlogged ships. It was Halloween, one of the few holidays that the villains allowed their kids to recognise, and Mal and Uma had called a truce for the night in order to throw the party of the year._

' _Mal?' Evie called, stumbling in her mother's old black heels as she tried to walk in a straight line. It was nearing midnight and she hadn't seen her friend for over an hour, despite the fact that they'd pledged to be drinking together when the clock struck twelve. 'Mal?'_

_Her costume consisted of an old blue dress that she had sewn the year before, paired with a cerulean mask that her and Dizzy had made, which she had left somewhere by accident. It wasn't exactly scary, but Queen Grimhilde had insisted that no daughter of hers was allowed to go out looking as if she was purposefully pushing people away._

' _Hey Evie!' The girl looked up into the eyes of Gil, who was holding a bottle of rum in each hand. He had, unsurprisingly, dressed up as a pirate. 'You looking for Mal?'_

_Evie sighed._

' _Is it that obvious Gil?'_

_The boy grinned, oblivious to her impatient tone. Even when drunk, he was one of the only guys on the Isle who wouldn't even consider chatting Evie up if she didn't appear in the mood. She was fond of him therefore, not that she'd ever admit it to Mal, but by Hades he could be trying._

' _I saw her walking back to your place.' He smiled, thrilled to have been of assistance, and waved to the blue haired girl as she frowned and walked past him, calling out a 'thank you' as she did._

' _Eves? Where are you going?'_

_Jay had his arm around Ginny Gothel, who was whispering in his ear, her hot cider-scented breath overwhelming his sense of smell._

' _I'm just going to find Mal.' The princess replied, trying her hardest not to slur her words. In hindsight, drinking when she hadn't eaten in three days probably wasn't a good plan. ''She's gone home.'_

_Jay nodded, well aware that Evie wasn't referring to Bargain Castle, and let her go without any further questions; she didn't seem too drunk that she couldn't look after herself and besides, the hideout wasn't far away._

_Evie had only just lost sight of the docks when she sensed someone behind her. Turning around, she saw Anthony Tremaine, the creep who had tried to grope her in school on multiple occasions. Mal had been prepared to cut off his hands, and sometimes Evie regretted talking her out of doing so._

' _Can I help you?' she asked scathingly, noticing his grubby shirt and messy hair. Lady Tremaine wouldn't be impressed to see what her darling grandson, whom she insisted had more regal blood than anyone on the Isle, currently looked like._

' _I'm sure you can.' He replied, making his way over to her. Evie raised an eyebrow and looked away._

' _That was a rhetorical question; you're the last person on this island that I'd want to help.'_

' _Ouch.' He chuckled, walking until he was right in front of the girl. 'Princess has a_ mouth _on her. I wonder what you can do with that mouth.'_

_Before he could say anything else, Evie brought her knee up to his groin, smiling sweetly when he doubled up in pain. She could hear her mother's voice in her head, berating her for injuring 'the most eligible boy on the Isle', but she tried her best to ignore it; what her mom didn't know couldn't hurt her._

' _I guess you'll never find out.'_

_She stepped around him daintily, rolling her eyes at the weak 'I'm here if you change your mind' that he called out after her. Anthony's obsession with Evie was weird; sure he was a player that tried it on with everything that had a pulse, but the blue haired girl was the only one he relentlessly pursued. She could be as rude as she liked to him and it only ever made him like her more. Unfortunately for him though, it just made Evie's hatred for him grow._

' _Mal?' Evie found herself calling her friend's name again as she walked up the stairs to their hideout. This was their base when they were nearer the centre of the isle; it was closer than the treehouse, albeit less secluded. 'Mal, come on.'_

_Evie tried to stop her voice from shaking, aware that it was her intoxicated mind making her assume the worst. All she could think of were the hundreds of things that could have happened to Mal between the docks and here. However, when she reached the room that the two girls shared when they needed to get away from their parents, she relaxed slightly; she could hear Mal speaking softly._

' _Harry, you know we can't.'_

_Hold on. Harry? What the hell was Mal doing with Harry? Evie shook her head, telling herself that she must have heard wrong; there was no way that Mal would ditch her, or the party she had spent weeks organising, in favour of a dumb pirate._

' _Uma is gonna be pissed enough already.'_

 _Evie couldn't believe her ears. Sure, Mal had been drinking, and they all made stupid decisions when they were drunk, but that didn't explain this; Mal didn't even_ like _Harry._

' _Come on Mal, ah know you want to.'_

_The young princess felt sick at the sound of those five words; thanks to her mother's 'lessons', she knew that nothing good ever happened after they'd been spoken. She placed a hand on the door knob, ready to intervene, when Harry's Scottish lilt piped up again._

' _If you don't, I'm sure that Princess Blueberry will be willing to give me what ah want. The rumours about her reached Serpent Prep you know.'_ _Evie, for reasons she knew were completely unrelated to the copious amounts of spirits she had consumed, felt physically sick. Is this what everyone saw her as? A second choice for when the person you really want to sleep with won't put out? Her head started spinning; what sort of prince would want someone that people thought was a slut?_

_Evie had always suspected that she hated her mother, but she hadn't been sure of it until then. She had never wanted to do what her mom had forced her to, and she had definitely never wanted people like Harry Hook to find out about it. Not bothering to hear if Mal defended her or not, she made her way back out of the hideout, memories of what her mother made her do going around and around in her mind._

' _You know you want to.' Pressure on her thigh._

' _You'll like this, I promise.' A smell of stale tobacco and a hand down her shirt._

' _Your mom says you need practice.' Her head pushed down and her hair pulled back and forwards and back and forwards and-_

' _Back so soon?' Anthony._

_Before Evie could rebuff him yet again, her stomach finally decided to empty itself and the girl rushed to an open trash can, spitting and spluttering._

' _Well if that's not a boner killer, I don't know what is.'_

_Evie coughed once more before sitting down on the steps leading to the hideout, her hand on her forehead._

' _Leave me alone Anthony.'_

_Much to her surprise, the boy came and sat beside her, looking at her worriedly._

' _Look princess, I get that you don't like me. I'm not sure why, seeing as I'm hot and noble, but still. You don't. That doesn't mean I don't like you and that I'm going to leave you here to barf yourself to death.'_

_Evie looked up at the boy she had grown to despise, her eyes heavy with hot, stinging tears. She still didn't like him; it was hard to like anyone who touched you without your permission, but in her tipsy state she figured that he could always have done a worse thing to her. More specifically, the one thing her mom wouldn't let any of the men do, despite how much they begged._

' _You know Tremaine, you're actually coming across as a half decent guy tonight.'_

' _Maybe because I am one.'_

_The girl didn't believe that for a second, but it didn't stop her from leaning in and kissing him, only somewhat self conscious about her puke breath. He didn't push her away, not at all, and he moaned when she momentarily broke their contact._

' _Shall we take this somewhere else?'_

_Anthony nodded, unable to believe his luck. Finally he was going to hook up with the hottest girl in school. Sure, everybody had heard what she got up to in her castle, but that didn't mean he wouldn't be the first person in school to get action from her._

_Evie took his hand and led him up the stairs, pausing outside her and Mal's room. She could hear Mal and Harry arguing faintly, so she knew that Mal hadn't given in to the pirate's advances. Evie wondered if her friend was defending her, and if maybe she was making the wrong decision, but then she remembered the situation. She remembered that Mal had left her to get with Harry, that Evie hadn't been enough for her. She pulled Anthony into the room Jay and Carlos shared._

_................................._

_It hurt more than Evie had expected it to, and after Anthony left, she saw that her legs had small splatters of blood on them. He hadn't bothered once to check if she was okay; he had been too busy enjoying himself, and- as soon as he was done- he had climbed off her. Oblivious to the tears running down her cheeks, he had buttoned up his pants and mumbled a 'thanks' before leaving._

_Evie wiped her face with the back of her hand before pulling her dress down and putting her underwear back on. She needed to go to the bathroom, to wipe away the smell and the evidence of what she'd just done, but she could hardly bring herself to move. A few seconds later, the door was thrown open._

' _What the fuck did he do to you, E?'_

_The girl narrowed her eyes and turned to Mal, who had just stormed in with her eyes glowing a bright green colour. Evie had never seen Mal's eyes do that before, only Maleficent's when she was especially angry._

' _What do you mean?'_

' _Anthony. What the fuck happened with him? I went to the party to find you, only to be told that you were looking for me. Then I get back here to see Anthony_ fucking _Tremaine covered in your lipstick and looking like he's on cloud nine.' The fae didn't even take a breath; she was too worried about her friend, too pissed at herself for leaving her, and too angry at Anthony to think or speak calmly. 'Did he hurt you?'_

' _No, I mean, yeah, but not exactly. It wasn't really him. I'm fine, we can leave it.' Evie was clearly tired, but Mal wasn't giving up that easily._

' _E, what the hell are you saying?'_

' _I'm bleeding, like, down there, quite a bit.'_

' _You mean..?' Mal's eyes trailed down, and saw that a small section of the bed underneath Evie was turning a reddish colour. 'Evie.. he didn't?'_

' _I let him, Mal. In fact, I suggested it. I wanted to do it too.'_

_Mal was almost certain that she wasn't hearing her friend properly; Evie was terrified of sex thanks to her mom. She used to cry to her for hours whenever she was made to do anything with the men who would wait in her room for her. Mal remembered when the girls had just met, and still weren't exactly friends. Grimhilde had invited Prince Hans over to the Castle to teach Evie how to kiss, insisting that- although the age difference prevented him from being a suitable date for her- she needed her first act of intimacy to be with a man of some importance._

_So the least respected villain on the whole Isle had taken Evie's first kiss, the thing she had been dreaming about since she was old enough to read. He had grabbed her head and bitten her lips as he forced his tongue inside her throat. Mal still shuddered at the thought; Evie had tearfully recounted every detail to her and the boys, resulting in Jay and Carlos hunting the man down and Mal staying up all night with the princess, gently threading her fingers through her hair._

_Mal wondered if Evie remembered what had happened next; she had been hysterical and half asleep after all. How Mal had leaned in and kissed her with more care than she'd ever used for anything before. How she had promised that a second kiss was much more important than a first anyway._

' _Really Mal, I'm fine. I just want to get cleaned up.'_

' _But Evie, why would you do that? I thought you hated him and the thought of..' Mal trailed off. She couldn't for the life of her understand Evie's reasoning._

' _The thought of what, sex?'_

' _Well yeah. You know, with your mom-'_

' _My mom who insists that I only have worth because I'm a virgin? Well .. was a virgin.' Evie looked down at her lap, fiddling with her hands. 'I guess maybe I did it to get back at her.'_

' _E..'_

' _Don't. Please don't give me a lecture, not when it's just gonna present you as a hypocrite.'_

_Mal searched her head for what Evie could possibly be referring to. There was nothing, unless she'd seen... no. They were so careful._

' _What?'_

' _Don't play dumb, Mal. I heard you with Harry.'_

_Obviously they weren't careful enough. Mal groaned; she had known as soon as Harry approached her that it would end badly. She just didn't think that Evie would ever be affected._

' _But E, we didn't-' just then, she remembered how her time with Harry had ended. How he'd insinuated that Evie slept around and how she had threatened him with his own hook for disrespecting her. 'What exactly did you hear?'_

_Evie's lack of a response was enough to confirm what Mal was scared of._


	10. Please don't ever become a stranger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry that this is late/ quite short/ not very good!! I had the first 1000 words sitting in the notes on my phone for weeks but I just didn't have the time to add to them.  
> Also there is lots of angst once again, sorry!! (Speaking of angst, I don't know if any of you watch Riverdale but Cheryl is my favourite and the latest episodes have been killing me)  
> For anybody who is interested also, I got the writing job! Thank you to those who reviewed last chapter and to anyone who reads this, and I hope you enjoy it.

_Evie tensed as Claude Frollo pulled her onto his lap in her locked bedroom. He began to kiss her, his hands roaming all over the underage girl, before his touch reached her thighs._

' _N-no.' She said, pulling away from him. She looked into the eyes of the ageing judge and felt a lump in her throat. He was, so far, the worst man that her mom had made her see; he had told her that she was a harlot who needed saving, had told her about the hell that awaited her, and had shouted until the girl had begun to cry. Then, he had forced his tongue down her throat and touched every inch of skin that was on display before guiding her to the bed._

' _Oh, but the queen said that we can do whatever I like.' The man felt like the world owed him something, Evie had been able to tell that from the second he had opened his mouth, but the princess knew deep down that that didn't mean he was entitled to her._

' _But I don't want to.'_

_Frollo narrowed his eyes, reminded of the gypsy who had refused him all those years ago._

' _Excuse me, bitch- do you think I care what you want?' The man went to attack her lips again, but Evie got off the bed and stood up._

' _What did you just call me?'_

' _I called you a temptress; a slut; a bitch_.' _His tone was as cutting as his words._ ' _Now, unless you want me to go and tell your mother that you're not really pleasing me at all, you need to sit back down.'_

_Evie considered her options, her chest feeling like it was carrying the weight of the world. She really didn't want the man's fingers near her again, nor did she want to feel his whiskery face against her cheek, but she knew that any punishment from her mom would be much worse. Reluctantly, she sat back down. She closed her eyes and let him do what he wanted, glad that he never suggested breaking her mother's rule._

_..._

_He didn't even look at her as he left, instead choosing to spit on the floor in front of her, and Evie let her shoulders sag as she tried to relax on the bed. Less than a minute later, she heard the sound of her window opening and somebody jumping into her room._

' _Who was that guy leaving with your mom?' It was the unmistakably curious tone of Mal. Evie smiled at the sound but she was too tired to turn and see her friend, especially when all she wanted to do was forget Frollo's touch and his scornful attitude._

' _Nobody.' She replied, feeling a weight on the bed beside her._

' _Shit, Blueberry are you crying?'_

_Evie didn't actually know the answer to that question until she felt a tear drop down her cheek. She sat up, dimly aware that her happiness at hearing Mal had distracted her from her upset._

' _What happened? Was he another...?' The fae didn't know what to call him. She didn't know what to call any of the disgusting perverts that took advantage of her princess._

' _He just..' Evie sighed, before smiling brightly and wiping her eyes. 'It was nothing! He seemed very happy with what I could offer.'_

' _Then why are you crying?'_

' _I just didn't want to do it.' Mal nodded; that much was understandable. 'I didn't want to do it, and I didn't want him to call me a bitch.'_

' _He called you a bitch?' the girl's tone was venomous. All she could think was what sort of arsehole insults the girl that he is taking advantage of? 'Nobody should call you that.'_

' _Mal, it's fine.' Evie watched as her friend made her way back to the window and she cried out after her. 'Please don't leave me.'_

'A _bitch_?' Evie repeated, hoping that she had misheard. It's not that she hadn't been called that word before; Anthony had let it slip once or twice, not to mention her mom and the men she'd teased on the Isle before running off with their watches, but Mal had never called her it. Mal had never called her anything like that; she had been the one defending her from people who called her that.

'I think it's best that we talk later.'

With that, Mal stomped out of the room to cool down before class.

'For fuck's sake.' Evie whispered, trying to get her head around what had just happened. Her and Mal never fought like that; they had never spoken to each other so spitefully.

She caught sight of two timetables that had been pinned to their cork board, and saw that her and Mal were due to attend 'Remedial Goodness 101' in fifteen minutes. Whatever the hell that was.

'Great.' She continued, before her stomach let out a load groan. It was still hurting, and Evie hoped that it would get better soon; she was even considering grabbing some breakfast on the off chance that hunger pains were contributing to the ache.

 _Princesses don't need breakfast Evelyn._ Her mom had hammered that fact home on multiple occasions, most notably when she'd caught Evie daring to eat a stale bread roll that Mal had snuck into her room. _Especially when they could do with losing weight._

Evie brushed aside any thoughts of eating and wandered over to her case before retrieving her makeup bag.

It didn't take her very long to get ready so she started studying a map of the school in order to work out where her classrooms were. All of a sudden, there was a knock at the door.

'Who is it?' She asked warily, knowing deep down that Mal wouldn't give in that quickly but hoping more than anything that she had. An answer came in the form of Audrey walking in.

'Oh, just me.' The girl said, before smirking and letting the door close behind her. 'Mal just came into my room to speak to Lonnie. I don't know what you said to her, but she looked pretty distraught.'

'Really?' Evie didn't want to believe that Mal was upset; she was the strongest girl she knew. 'What did she say?'

'I'm not your messenger.' Audrey hissed, walking around the room and taking great interest in the few belongings that Mal had displayed.

'Then why are you here?'

'I'm just being nice, of course. Are you not eating?'

'I'm not hungry.' Evie replied instinctively, making eye contact with the princess and speaking smoothly.

'Well that's just as well.' Said Audrey, looking Evie up and down with her eyes lingering on the villain kid's stomach.

Evie told herself that Audrey was just trying to make her feel insecure, that her stomach was not something that deserved such a disparaging look, but she couldn't believe it; all she could think of were the many times that her mom had looked at her in the same way. Like the time on Evie's birthday, when she'd let herself eat breakfast _and_ lunch: the Evil Queen had been disgusted and sent her to her room and Evie, desperate to gain the woman's approval, had made herself sick for the very first time.

_'What do you think you're doing?' The woman shrieked, having walked into her daughter's en -suite after hearing her having a coughing fit. She grabbed Evie by her shoulder and pulled her up. 'Do you think a prince will want someone who smells of sick?'_

_'But mom, it'll make me thinner.' Evie argued desperately, trying to squirm out of her mother's grip._

_Queen Grimhilde considered Evie's words, looking properly at her. Perhaps puking wasn't such a bad idea; the woman's twisted mind decided that the girl definitely looked less bloated._

_'Well don't do it too often.' She instructed, letting go of Evie and pursing her lips almost approvingly. 'I'll talk to the goblins and see if I can get you some mints.'_

_That same night, Evie had carved the word 'fat' into her hip._

'Earth to Evie? Are all villain kids this rude or just you?' Audrey's sour tone brought the blue haired girl back to the present.

'What?' Evie glanced over at the bathroom door, her memories reminding her of what she'd done last night. Had she put the razor blades away? Crap. No she hadn't. Did Mal have wet hair that morning? Could she have had a shower the night before? Did she notice the mess Evie had left? Crap. Evie's head starting swimming with a million thoughts. God, if only she had _thought of something other than_ herself _. Princesses shouldn't be so shallow._

'What's wrong with you?' Audrey's voice was more confused than hurtful. She followed Evie's gaze to see where she was looking. 'Are you hiding something in there?'

'N- no, of course not.' Evie stuttered, panicking as she watched Audrey walk over to the bathroom. 'So, why aren't you eating?' she hadn't meant to sound as accusatory as she did, but thankfully her words distracted the Auradon kid.

'I have a free period.' Audrey responded coolly, placing her hands on her hips. 'So I'm meeting someone and going out for breakfast.'

'Ben?'

Audrey visibly bristled at Evie's innocent question.

'Chad.'

'Oh... does Ben know?' Evie wasn't even trying to upset Audrey; she only wanted to steer the conversation away from herself, yet Aurora's daughter was getting more and more annoyed.

'Listen here you Isle _whore.'_ She snapped, moving until they were face to face. 'Who I meet is none of your business, so if you dare tell Ben..' Audrey didn't even need to finish her threat; Evie was well aware of what she would do to her. 'I'm just going out with a friend. Got it?'

'Got it.' Evie repeated, as she wondered whether or not she finally had some leverage over the other girl; as much as her mum had wanted her to hide her brains, she still knew how to use them and she was pretty sure that she knew what was going on.

'How is that baby- less belly anyway?' Audrey had walked to the door as if she was going to leave, but she stopped to turn back to Evie. 'I'm assuming that you haven't really spoken to anyone about it.' Her voice seemed softer than usual, Evie thought, almost as if he genuinely cared. Convinced that she was imagining things, she rolled her eyes; Audrey was just trying to upset her and there was no way it was going to work.

'It's fine, thanks.' Evie ignored the way that Audrey's eyes flickered to the floor. 'Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get to class.' Audrey left without another word and, after a few minutes, Evie did too.

When she reached the classroom for Remedial Goodness, the boys and Mal were already standing outside. The blue haired girl groaned internally, wondering if Mal had already told them about their argument.

'Good morning Amira.' said Jay, giving her a small smile. Carlos did the same but Mal looked straight through her.

'Hey guys.' Evie said croakily. As hard as she tried not to, she found herself speaking to Mal more than the others. 'Why aren't you going in?'

'We were waiting for you.' Said Carlos when nobody else spoke. Jay watched Evie as she nodded gratefully and finally tore her gaze away from Mal. He narrowed his eyes at the long sleeves she self consciously pulled down and he vowed to get her alone at some point that day.

'Thanks.'

Mal rolled her eyes and opened the classroom door, leading the four of them into the classroom. Jay leaned in to Evie as they walked.

'Mal hasn't spoken to us all morning. Did something happen between you two?' Evie looked up at the boy she viewed as a brother: at one of the few boys that she had never seen as a threat, and it took everything that she had to stop herself from falling apart and telling him what had happened.

'Don't worry about it Jay.'


End file.
